CDC

Feb. 23 (UPI) — Ralph Abraham, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention principal deputy director and noted vaccine skeptic, announced Monday he’s stepping down from the role.

The CDC said he’s leaving the position as one of the top public health officials in the United States so he can “address unforeseen family obligations.” The agency provided no further details.

“It has been an honor to serve alongside the dedicated public health professionals at the CDC and to support the agency’s critical mission,” Abraham said in a statement.

The announcement comes less than three months after he was hired for the No. 2 position at the CDC.

Prior to his appointment at the CDC, Abraham served as Louisiana surgeon general. He caused controversy when he ordered the Louisiana Department of Health to stop recommending mass vaccinations in 2025.

At the time, he said the move was intended to rebuild trust with public health officials after it had been eroded by what he described as missteps during the COVID-19 pandemic. Abraham previously ordered state public health workers to stop promoting COVID-19, influenza or mpox vaccinations.

“Conversations about specific vaccines, and whether or not a vaccine is right for a specific person, are best had with the individual’s healthcare provider, who best understands their individual situation and relevant medical history,” Abraham wrote in a post on X in February 2025.

Feb. 7 (UPI) — Federal health officials reported 145 new measles cases amid outbreaks across 20 states over the past week, raising the nation’s total to 733 so far this year.

South Carolina, by far, has recorded the most measles cases among states this year after an outbreak began in the fall and has reported a total of 920 confirmed cases since then — including 44 new ones during the past week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the nation totaled 733 cases for the year as of Thursday, including 727 across 20 states. Another six cases were confirmed among international travelers.

The majority of cases, 671, or 92%, are linked to outbreaks that began in 2025 and have continued into 2026. Another nine cases are associated with new outbreaks reported so far in 2026.

The number of cases this year is much lower than the 2,276 cases reported across 45 states in 2025, but the number could top last year’s total if the infection rates continue throughout the year.

“Because it’s such an infectious virus, whenever you see measles outbreaks, it highlights areas of the country or communities in which vaccination rates are low,” Dr. Demetre Daskalakis told ABC News. Daskalakis formerly led the CDC’s disease-tracking unit.

In addition to South Carolina, cases have been reported in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

The United States in 2000 declared measles had been eradicated, but recent outbreaks among international travelers and the unvaccinated, plus this year’s rapid start, likely will end that designation.

Before 2025, the country averaged 180 measles cases per year, but the 2026 numbers already are more than four times that number.

Infants, children and teens account for the majority of cases, 203 among those under age 5 and 417 among those from ages 5 through 19, the combined total of which accounts for 85% of all cases.

Those ages 20 and over account for 92 and 13% of cases, and another 21 cases, 3% are among unknown ages.

Vaccination status plays an even greater role than age in the current measles outbreak.

Those who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown account for 689 cases — equal to 94% — so far this year.

Patients who have received just one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine account for another 14 cases, which is equal to 2%, while those who are fully vaccinated account for 30 cases and 4% of the current total. Those percentages are about the same as in 2025.

So far this year, 23 people have been hospitalized, which is equal to 3% of all cases, and no deaths have been reported so far this year.