Editor’s Note: Dr. Josh Green is the governor of Hawaii. Before being elected governor in 2022, he worked in Hawaii as an emergency room doctor and family doctor. While serving as lieutenant governor, he led an emergency medical mission, halting the measles outbreak in Samoa and leading a Hawaiian vaccination campaign during the Covid-19 pandemic.
CNN
–
Children in America are at risk. Measles outbreaks have spread to Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, and other areas, exposing life-threatening, overwhelming medical resources and vulnerable communities. In Texas alone, more than 400 measles cases and the death of the first child from measles in our country for over a decade confirmed the heartbreaking loss of school-age children in Gaines County. The outbreak continued to expand, gained momentum, gained momentum, pose a threat to the children of our country. One Texas public health official fears the outbreak will last for a year.
But this tragic consequence we can come does not have to happen. If we act now, we can prevent that.
Measles is a highly contagious virus, with one in five of them infected and one in 1,000 people killed. Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, hundreds of thousands of cases were seen in the United States each year, many of which caused complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis and death.
Twenty-five years ago, a nationwide vaccination effort effectively eliminated US illness by achieving a 95% vaccination rate nationwide, establishing herd immunity and preventing the spread of the disease. Today, many states are allowed to lower vaccination rates. Experts fear that the removal of the disease is at risk and measles could become a threat again.
Vaccination campaigns save lives during a deadly virus outbreak. I witnessed firsthand the life-saving power of vaccines. Covid-19 Pandemic – When I was the lieutenant governor, we vaccinated over 1 million people in Hawaii, saved thousands of lives, and achieved the lowest infection and death rates in the country.
In 2019, a measles outbreak passed through the island nation of Samoa. The spread of anti-vaccine misinformation last year caused fear and uncertainty, preventing many families from vaccinating children from measles. The result was a catastrophic outbreak that infected more than 5,000 people and killed 83, mostly children. In December 2019, I led an emergency medical mission from Hawaii to vaccinate 37,000 people in Samoa for 36 hours, rapidly increasing vaccination rates and ending a fatal outbreak.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Report Since October, there have been 14 states in the United States, with measles vaccination rates among kindergarteners dropping to dangerously low levels of under 90%.
Communities with vaccination rates are below the 95% threshold required to maintain immunity in the herd. In Gaines County, Texas, nearly one in every five kindergarteners who enter the school system are not vaccinated against measles.
The decline in vaccination rates is driven by the troubling spread of anti-vaccine misinformation, skepticism and self-satisfaction. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the top US public health official, health and human services director, suggests that MMR vaccines protect against measles, mumps and rubella are not safe. This is false. The measles vaccine has saved an estimated 94 million lives worldwide over the past 50 years, and the US Food and Drug Administration has safely and effectively approved the MMR vaccine since 1971.
Kennedy also continues to cloud these facts by describing vaccinations as a “personal choice” and promoting vitamin A supplementation as a major response to measles outbreaks. Let’s be clear: Vitamin A can reduce measles complications when an infection occurs, but it does not prevent the disease. Otherwise, even implicitly, it distracts children from the proven life effects of the vaccine.
I strongly oppose Kennedy to that vaccination is a “personal choice” and consider this ambiguity dangerous and irresponsible. It’s more than a personal choice. Protecting not only yourself but the entire community is a choice. As a doctor, governor and father, I think it is our moral responsibility to protect vulnerable people by contributing to the immunity of the herd against viral infections through safe and effective vaccinations.
In the face of the current outbreak, I urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Kennedy’s guidance to act promptly and decisively. The department should run a broad science-based vaccination campaign to stop the spread of measles and prevent future tragedy. The campaign should focus on four key pillars: education, community engagement, accessibility and responsible public policy.
First of all, education is paramount. We need to actively counter false information by providing clear, factual and scientifically grounded information. This approach includes clear communication about vaccine safety and efficacy and requires engagement with trusted local voices such as healthcare providers, educators, faith leaders, and community advocates.
Second, we must emphasize the involvement of genuine community. Communities need to be actively involved in this public health initiative, not merely passive recipients. When we are respectfully involved in listening and responding thoughtfully to local concerns, we trust and improve public health outcomes. A community-based approach has proven repeatedly effective in increasing vaccination rates and should guide current responses.
Third, vaccine accessibility should be prioritized. In regions with limited healthcare infrastructure, innovative solutions such as mobile vaccination units, community health fairs and partnerships with local organizations can bridge the gap and ensure vaccines reach everyone. When it comes to vaccinations, no one faces barriers to affordability or convenience.
Finally, there is a need for strong and responsible public policy that balances individual freedom with our collective responsibility. Policy requiring vaccinations to schools, excluding legitimate medical exemptions, maintains historically high vaccination rates and protects the health of our communities. These regulations must be firmly enforced, but compassionate, recognised that public safety is paramount.
Now is not the time for ambiguity or delay. We must take urgent action to protect our families and our communities. It is our collective moral responsibility to prevent more infections, more suffering and death of American children through our commitment to safe and effective vaccines and public health education.
We can stop the fatal spread of measles in our country by launching a sustained emergency vaccination campaign, starting with states and communities with the lowest vaccination rates and the greatest vulnerability. There is data. There are resources. Now we have to find compassion, strength and what we have to do to do what we know.
