Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed Friday that the United States is controlling measles outbreaks better than any other country in the world. According to an AP fact-check, that claim is not supported by evidence. Other countries, including neighboring Mexico and Canada, have experienced larger measles outbreaks in 2025 and 2026 than the United States.
Kennedy made the claim during congressional testimony as he defended a proposed budget cut of more than 12% to his department. “The measles outbreak is not an American phenomenon. It is global. It’s happening all over the world. And we’ve done better under my leadership than any country in the world in limiting it,” he said.
The discrepancy is significant because measles is extremely contagious—it requires a 95% vaccination rate to prevent outbreaks—and U.S. vaccination rates have been declining as public health experts criticize Kennedy for his reluctance to promote vaccines and willingness to cast doubt on their safety.
Measles Surging Globally
Measles is surging around the world, with most world regions logging higher case counts in 2025 than the Americas. An ongoing outbreak in Bangladesh alone has killed more than 100 children.
U.S. Cases Accelerate as Vaccination Rates Slip
The United States is experiencing its biggest surge in measles cases since 1991, and the case count for 2026 is already trending higher than the previous year’s record-breaking total. The nation is on the verge of losing its 26-year-old measles elimination status.
Vaccination rates have been falling nationally, dropping from 95.2% in the 2019-20 school year to 92.5% in 2024-25, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Expert Warnings on Kennedy’s Leadership
Public health experts have criticized Kennedy’s response to rising measles cases, citing his reluctance to forcefully advocate for vaccinations, his willingness to cast doubt on their safety, and his promotion of untested remedies instead.