25 years ago, in what many doctors considered a public health triumph, measles was declared

eliminated in the United States.

The announcement came after nearly four decades of routine immunization against the disease,

reinforced by state laws that mandated nearly all children prove they'd had measles shots in order to enroll in school.

But over time, as misinformation about vaccines has stoked fear and resentment around those requirements,

and ironically, as the disease has become less familiar to American families,

more parents have chosen not to have their children immunized.

And now, Measles is back with a vengeance.

From KERA in Dallas, this is Think.

I'm Chris Boyd.

There is a serious outbreak in West Texas at the moment,

with at least 20 patients hospitalized and one family mourning the death of a school-aged child.

My guest is deeply saddened by this and frustrated because in the era of safe, effective anti-measles vaccines,

every case of illness of an unvaccinated person represents what he calls a massive

unforced error. Dr. Adam Ratner is a pediatric infectious disease specialist in New York City.

His book is called Booster Shots, The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children's

Health. Adam, welcome to think. Delighted to be here. Thanks for having me.

Many of us outside the medical profession think of successful treatments for diseases as victories, which of course they are.

But as a physician, your highest goal is preventing disease in the first place?

Absolutely. And I think that's true for a lot of us.

And when I was going through training in medical school and then pediatric residency and

infectious diseases fellowship, I learned how to take care of individual patients.

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