A new Annenberg Poll shows that 87% of Americans say the benefit of childhood measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination outweighs the risk, and 67% say they know that MMR vaccines don't cause autism.
2025 may see the highest measles case count in the United States since the disease was officially eliminated in 2000. With more than 1,000 cases identified, and many more likely unreported, the virus is taking hold in unvaccinated and under-vaccinated communities. The Annenberg Poll surveyed 1,653 US adults from April 15 to 28, 2025, on measles knowledge and attitudes toward vaccines.
Despite the number of current outbreaks (14) and illnesses (1,024 confirmed), only 6 in 10 of adults polled (58%) said there are more measles cases in the United States in 2025 than in the comparable period in 2024.
The poll picked up increased support for mandating MMR vaccine for public school entrance. Eighty percent of those polled said they supported requiring MMR vaccines for school entry, up from 73% in 2023. Only 18% of those polled said vaccines should be a matter of parental choice.
Most unsure of measles complications
Most adults surveyed in the current poll had a limited understanding of measles complications or understood the particular risks of measles infections in pregnancy. Just over 1 in 8 Americans (13%) estimated correctly that 10% to 15% of measles patients will require hospitalization.
Fifty-seven percent of those polled said they were unsure of complications if a pregnant woman contracts measles.
When asked to select among a list of complications that could occur in someone with measles who is pregnant, a third of survey respondents correctly identify delivering a low birthweight baby .
"When asked to select among a list of complications that could occur in someone with measles who is pregnant, a third of survey respondents correctly identify delivering a low birthweight baby (34%) or experiencing an early delivery (34%) as complications of having measles while pregnant," the authors wrote.
Belief in dubious treatments
The poll also assessed belief in alternative, non-vaccine, treatments for measles, including vitamin A and cod liver oil, both of which have been referenced by Health and Human Services Sectary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on recent trips to Texas as successful treatments for measles. Some doctors in Texas have subsequently reported cases of vitamin A toxicity in children who have been treated with too much vitamin A during the ongoing outbreak.
Neither vitamin A nor D (which is contained in cod liver oil) is a proven treatment for measles. Americans polled were split on the usefulness of the vitamins for measles treatment and prevention, with 46% to 47% saying the vitamins had no effect on whether a person will get measles.
"As for the general health benefits of taking a large amount of cod liver oil every day, 48% say they are unsure whether there are any health benefits or not. Just as many say cod liver oil improves a person’s health (16%) as say it harms (15%) one’s health,” the pollsters said. "A fifth (22%) say taking large amounts of cod liver oil every day has no effect on one’s health one way or the other."
The poll's margin of error for the entire sample is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Canada reports more cases
Canada is also experiencing a large measles outbreak this year, and on May 16, Public Health Canada reported 346 new cases from 7 jurisdictions in the most recent reporting week, putting the country's total at 1,846. The vast majority are in Ontario (1,460 cases) and Alberta (287).
"The outbreak began in New Brunswick in October 2024. It has continued to spread in Ontario and there have been related cases reported in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan," Public Health Canada said.
Montreal health officials are warning of potential exposure following the detection of a measles case in someone who visited the city while infectious in the first and second week of May. Several hotels and restaurants are listed as possible exposure sites.
In other North American news, a media report describes the April 3 measles death in Mexico of a Mennonite man who had underlying health conditions.
The current measles outbreak in Mexico is centered near a Mennonite community in Chihuahua state, and there are links in the Mexican community to the US West Texas outbreak.
