US experts warn of public health crisis as jab rates fall

Plummeting immunization rates, outbreaks of once-vanquished childhood diseases, and the appointment of a vocal vaccine skeptic as health secretary have US experts sounding the alarm about a looming public health crisis.

Since the start of the year, nearly 100 cases of measles have been reported in Texas and neighboring New Mexico, raising fears that the highly contagious and potentially serious illness is making a comeback.

In Louisiana, whooping cough has resulted in the deaths of two children, according to local media. As with measles, experts attribute the resurgence to vaccine exemptions.

Amid growing distrust of health authorities and pharmaceutical companies, more parents are opting not to vaccinate their children.

The proportion of preschool-aged children vaccinated against measles - which is mandatory - has dropped nationally from 95 percent in 2019 to less than 93 percent in 2023.

Experts warn that this trend could worsen under the leadership of newly appointed Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr, who has repeatedly questioned vaccine safety and promoted misinformation.

"It is a disaster waiting to happen, and it will happen," experts said.

Agence France-Presse