Caffeinated Politics

The confirmation of Wisconsin’s first measles case of the year is more than a local health update — it’s a warning flare signaling how fragile our public health victories become when science is sidelined, and national leadership fails to prioritize our collective well‑being.  I want to assert at the start of this column that the reason we all should be concerned about measles, regardless of where the cases occur, is that the end result could cost the United States the measles-free designation it has held since 2000.

For decades, measles stood as a symbol of what America could accomplish when science, policy, and civic responsibility aligned. The United States achieved measles elimination status in 2000 — a milestone earned through widespread vaccination, strong public health infrastructure, a shared sense of duty, and a shared responsibility to protect one another. That achievement wasn’t just medical; it was cultural. It reflected a nation willing to act together for the common good.

Now, Wisconsin’s first confirmed measles case of 2026 — a Waukesha County resident infected after international travel — reminds us how quickly progress can unravel. 

Measles is not a mild childhood inconvenience. It is one of the most contagious viruses known, capable of infecting up to 90% of unvaccinated people who come into contact with it. Its resurgence is not an accident — it is a consequence of eroded trust in science, weakened public health messaging, and national leadership that has too often treated expertise as optional rather than essential. (You know the same complaint I have registered about a bevy of issues we confront.)

When leaders minimize the importance of vaccination, undermine scientific institutions, or politicize basic health measures, the public pays the price. The return of measles is not just a medical failure; it is a civic one.

Wisconsin health officials are urging residents to check their vaccination status — a simple, proven step that protects individuals and communities alike. But personal responsibility alone cannot compensate for national neglect. Public health requires coordination, clarity, and courage from those in power. We are lacking all three as I sit at my desk writing today.

It sickens me that disease prevention has been hijacked by absurdity and that misinformation and outright lies from the federal government under the Trump Administration will endanger communities. I grew up in a time, as most of my readers did, where public health was a shared responsibility, not a partisan battleground. The lowering of the educated national consciousness and the elevation of the aggrieved crowd who feel their hairbrained rants are on the same footing as medical science has led us to this outcome.

The data for the measles cases nationwide is concerning. The following came from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

As of Jan. 23, there have been 416 confirmed cases of measles across the U.S. in 2026, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as outbreaks in South Carolina and on the Arizona-Utah border continue to grow. In 2025, a total of 2,255 measles cases were confirmed, the country’s worst year for measles since 1991. The virus caused three deaths – two Texas children and one adult in New Mexico – all of whom had not received the vaccine.

When national leadership is willfully replaced by lunacy, this is the outcome.