In 2000, measles was declared eliminated from the United States following a successful, national vaccination program — transmission of the disease had ceased within America, but even now, measles has yet to be eradicated worldwide. The continued spread of measles in other countries and lapses in America's vaccination rates leaves the country vulnerable to outbreaks like the one happening in Texas right now. The ongoing outbreak has so far claimed two lives, with cases increasing due to the incredibly high transmissibility of measles and low vaccination rates in the affected areas.
In this adapted excerpt from his book Booster Shots (Penguin Random House, 2025), pediatrician and infectious disease specialist Dr. Adam Ratner looks at a historical measles outbreak in Texarkana, a city at the border of Texas and Arkansas. In the outbreak, the side of the state line people happened to live on determined their fate.
