And that "Yes" is an unequivocal one.
First, the good news - measles has yet to hit AZ.
From the CDC -
As of this writing, there have no cases of measles reported in AZ, but nationally, there have been more cases so far this year than in any other year since 2000 (the CDC didn't publish figures for years prior to that). The only year with more measles cases for the entire year was 2019, and we're not even halfway through 2025 yet.
Also from the CDC -
Now the bad news - the "no cases in AZ" thing seems poised to change in short order.
From KJZZ, written by Fatima Gabir of Cronkite News -
As measles spread in the U.S., anti-vaccine sentiment continues to grow in Arizona
Health professionals say mixed messaging from top officials along with widespread misinformation is contributing to declining vaccination rates, particularly in rural counties where health care access is already limited.
“For a person who’s not trained in medicine, science, or public health, it’s a confusing mix of messages they receive, and they don’t have any good way to sort it out,” said Dr. Doug Campos-Outcalt, a physician and public health expert at the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine.
[snip]
A CDC report shows that 8.5% of Arizona’s kindergartners skipped required vaccinations through exemptions last school year. In Arizona, parents need to submit a “personal beliefs” form to their child’s school to opt out of vaccination. The data included homeschooled children to a limited extent.
[snip]
“It’s scary to think that we could potentially have that again, with diseases that could be prevented because of vaccines. We’re putting ourselves in a situation where we’re going to overrun our hospitals again. We’re going to overwork our already overworked health care workers. Our infrastructure can’t handle it again,” {RN Brandi} Giles said.
Get vaccinated.
