Crossposted from Public Health Insider

This opinion piece was originally published in The Seattle Times on August 20, 2026.

The U.S. now has more recorded cases of measles — a highly contagious but vaccine-preventable disease — than any time in the past 35 years. Over the past two years, the infection has impacted undervaccinated communities across our country. National data show that measles has re-established itself after the U.S. declared the infection eliminated in 2000.

Although this is a notable public health setback, there are several actions we can take to protect one another in King County and Washington state. We have an experienced public health system, dedicated healthcare partners and a committed community; together we have faced disease threats before. The decisions we make and actions we take now to improve vaccination rates can help us prepare and safeguard our communities from unimpeded measles circulation in our region. Read more.