this post was submitted on 20 May 2025
44 points (97.8% liked)

Furry Scientists

196 readers
2 users here now

A community for furries who are interested in SCIENCE!

Share anything related to science here :3

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

Public health historians partially attribute the outbreak to budget cuts during President Ronald Reagan's administration that affected federal funds directed toward immunization and public health initiatives.

"There was just less White House support for childhood immunization," says Elena Conis, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she specializes in medical history.

Immunization rates peaked in the early 1980s because of investment during the prior administration of President Jimmy Carter. There was just one death attributed to measles in 1984, the lowest number ever recorded by the CDC. But as federal investment didn't keep up with inflation or with increases in the cost of the vaccine, immunization levels crept downward, particularly in areas where parents couldn't afford vaccinations.

Source