With measles cases in the United States topping 4,400 this year — twice the number from 2025 — public health agencies are struggling to persuade more families to vaccinate. STAT reports that vaccination coverage has slipped in more than 1,600 counties since 2017, and even modest declines can fuel large outbreaks because measles is so contagious.
Some health communication experts now say the standard approach of emphasizing worst-case outcomes may be backfiring. Peter Sandman, a retired risk communication expert, argues officials should state plainly that most healthy children recover fully from measles. Epidemiologist Katrine Wallace of the University of Illinois Chicago adds that acknowledging this reality can earn credibility for explaining why "most" is not good enough when a safe vaccine exists.
The current messaging from the CDC and state officials leans heavily on danger — the agency's infographics warn that measles "isn't just a little rash," and Utah's epidemiologist described extreme fevers and severe weakness during an outbreak. Vaccine skeptics have seized on these fear-based appeals, and a 2025 KFF survey found more than half of parents are not very worried about measles. Experts stress that vaccines remain crucial and that measles can cause serious downstream health problems, but they believe a more honest, less alarmist tone could ultimately build the trust needed to raise immunization rates.