1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

The current administration's obsession with anti-vax conspiracies is costing lives and enabling the spread of preventable diseases like the deadly measles and whooping cough outbreaks ravaging communities. Measles cases have skyrocketed past 600, leading to multiple deaths, including children. Whooping cough has exploded by over 1,500%, with infant fatalities already exceeding last year's total. Vaccination rates have plummeted across the country as the administration undermines public health, slashing over 20,000 CDC jobs and $11 billion from frontline agencies. Elevating notorious vaccine critic RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary compounds the crisis, muzzling science while amplifying disinformation. The administration buried CDC data stressing vaccines' importance and pushed unproven "cures" like vitamin A over immunizations. This reckless assault on safeguards will allow outbreaks to spiral further out of control, imperiling babies, the immunocompromised, and all Americans needlessly exposed to archaic scourges. Aggressive action reinstating funding, promoting pro-vaccine messaging based on scientific consensus, and reining in dangerous falsehoods is crucial to prevent a snowballing catastrophe.