| Photo by CDC on Unsplash
A critical factor exacerbating the global health crisis, and in turn impacting the U.S., is the decision to reduce U.S. foreign aid significantly. The United States has historically been the world’s largest donor of humanitarian and development assistance, and the abrupt termination of thousands of programs has created a vacuum with severe consequences. It is particularly relevant to the resurgence of measles, as foreign aid is a cornerstone of global immunization efforts.
Cuts to U.S. foreign aid have a direct and devastating impact on public health in developing countries. Programs that provide a wide range of services—from pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV to malaria net distribution, and most relevant to this discussion, immunizations—have been abruptly halted. This withdrawal of funding has led to the closure of clinics and hospitals and disrupted the supply chains for essential medicines and vaccines.
Decades of progress in combating infectious diseases are at risk. Initiatives like the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has saved millions of lives, are facing significant cuts, with projections of an increase in HIV transmission and deaths. The lack of funding for immunization campaigns means that millions of children are now vulnerable to preventable diseases like measles, polio, and diphtheria. It directly contributes to the global increase in measles cases, as countries that previously relied on U.S. support now have a lower vaccination coverage. U.S. aid has also funded critical health data systems and disease surveillance programs. With these programs cut, the ability to track health outcomes and detect disease outbreaks has been severely hampered, making it more difficult to prevent future pandemics.
The impact of reduced foreign aid is not limited to the countries receiving it. It poses a direct threat to U.S. security and economic interests. The cuts can lead to widespread instability, food insecurity, and increased migration pressures in vulnerable regions. It creates a fertile ground for conflict, which can ultimately necessitate more costly and complex military and humanitarian interventions. By stepping back from its role as a global leader in development, the U.S. cedes its influence to other international powers, such as China and Russia, which may step in to fill the void. It undermines U.S. diplomatic and strategic alliances.
The interconnected nature of the world means that a disease outbreak in one country can quickly become a global crisis, as seen with the COVID-19 pandemic. By defunding programs that prevent and treat infectious diseases abroad, the U.S. increases the risk of those diseases spreading to its own borders.
The decision to reduce U.S. foreign aid is not a simple budgetary measure. It is a strategic misstep with far-reaching consequences, contributing to the very public health crises—like the resurgence of measles—that threaten the health and security of both the U.S. and the world.
Simultaneously, declining immunization rates for measles in the U.S. and globally, exacerbated mainly by the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to a resurgence of cases, threatening the country’s measles elimination status. The parallels between vaccine hesitancy for COVID-19 and measles highlight a broader public health challenge.
The U.S. declared measles eliminated in 2000, but a significant increase in cases has been reported recently. In 2024, the U.S. saw a total of 285 measles cases, while 2025 has already seen a dramatic surge with 1,408 confirmed cases as of late August. The overwhelming majority of these cases—92%—are among individuals who are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. This trend is a direct result of falling vaccination coverage among children, with rates for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine falling below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity. This immunity gap is not only a local problem; a global increase in measles cases is fueling it.
“The decision to reduce U.S. foreign aid is not a simple budgetary measure. It is a strategic misstep with far-reaching consequences, contributing to the very public health crises—like the resurgence of measles—that threaten the health and security of both the U.S. and the world.”
Globally, immunization efforts have also been set back. In 2024, the proportion of children receiving a first dose of the measles vaccine was 84%, still below the 2019 level of 86%. It leaves an estimated 20 million children vulnerable. While progress has been made in some regions, the overall decline in global vaccination coverage has led to an increase in measles activity worldwide. It creates a greater risk for the U.S. as international travel can reintroduce the virus into communities with low immunization rates, triggering local outbreaks.
The COVID-19 pandemic has played a significant role in this public health setback. The disruption of routine healthcare services and the pervasive spread of misinformation and anti-vaccine rhetoric have contributed to rising vaccine hesitancy. This is evident in the low uptake of updated COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S., where as of April 2025, only 20.4% of adults had received the latest dose. The erosion of public trust in health institutions and the politicization of public health measures during the pandemic have created a more fertile ground for the spread of vaccine misinformation. This is now impacting long-standing, safe, and effective childhood vaccines like the MMR, putting communities at risk for a preventable and potentially deadly disease.
The lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly regarding the importance of effective public health communication and the dangers of eroding public trust, must be applied to combat the resurgence of measles. Without a renewed commitment to vaccination and a concerted effort to restore faith in public health, the U.S. risks losing its hard-won status as a country free of endemic measles.
As of mid-2025, there have been a total of three confirmed measles deaths in the United States. Two of the deaths were children, and one was an adult. All three of these individuals were unvaccinated. The deaths occurred during a large outbreak concentrated in the Southwest, particularly along the Texas-New Mexico border. It is important to note that these are the first measles deaths in the U.S. since 2015, highlighting the severity of the recent resurgence. While the number is low compared to other diseases, it is a significant and tragic indicator of the risk posed by declining vaccination rates for a disease that was once considered eliminated.
While the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer in its emergency phase, the virus continues to circulate and cause fatalities. The data available for 2025 indicates that deaths, while significantly lower than the peak years of the pandemic, are still occurring. According to the CDC, as of August 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported approximately 672 deaths in the U.S. from COVID-19 in the four weeks leading up to August 10, 2025.
A CDC report from August 2025 estimates that COVID-19-related deaths accounted for about 0.4% of all deaths in the U.S. for the week ending August 16, 2025. Some preliminary data from the CDC also estimates that around 47,500 Americans died from COVID-19-related causes in 2024. While the death toll from COVID-19 remains much higher than that of measles, both diseases underscore the continuing public health challenges posed by vaccine hesitancy and the importance of maintaining high immunization rates. The vast difference in death numbers also highlights the incredible effectiveness of the MMR vaccine in preventing severe illness and death from measles.
Adding a summary of the latest influenza data for the U.S. to the previous response provides a more comprehensive picture of the country’s public health challenges. The 2024-2025 flu season was notable for its severity, particularly among children, and serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat of vaccine-preventable diseases. The 2024-2025 influenza season was classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a “high severity” season, marking the first time since the 2017-2018 season. Preliminary estimates released by the CDC show a significant impact. The CDC estimated at least 26,000 deaths from the flu during the 2024-2025 season. A total of 267 influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported to the CDC. This is the highest number of pediatric deaths in any non-pandemic influenza season since the condition became reportable in 2004.
Among children who were eligible for vaccination and for whom vaccine status was known, 90% of the pediatric deaths occurred in children who were not fully vaccinated against influenza. It underscores the critical role of vaccination in preventing severe illness and death. The severity of the season was attributed to several factors, including the concurrent circulation of multiple strains of the flu, particularly Type A H1N1 and H3N2, and, notably, suboptimal vaccination coverage. As of April 2025, only 49.2% of children and 46.7% of adults in the U.S. had received the flu vaccine.
The flu death numbers, particularly among children, add another layer of complexity to the discussion of vaccine-preventable diseases. While the three measles deaths are a tragic and alarming sign of the resurgence of a once-eliminated disease, the thousands of flu deaths highlight the persistent threat of a common, vaccine-preventable virus.
The low vaccination rates for both measles and influenza demonstrate a broader trend of vaccine hesitancy and a decrease in public health engagement that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated. The data collectively shows that while the U.S. has moved past the acute emergency phase of COVID-19, the lessons from the pandemic—about the dangers of misinformation and the importance of maintaining robust vaccination programs—are more relevant than ever.
