Physician who survived measles warns of rising U.S. cases and deaths

Jewel Mullen, an associate professor at Dell Medical School, recalls surviving a near-fatal measles infection as a kindergartener in 1961, before a vaccine existed. Her personal ordeal and decades of work in epidemiology shape her perspective on the disease today.

Mullen notes that the United States has already exceeded the total number of measles cases reported in 2025, and four deaths linked to the illness have been recorded in Pennsylvania alone. The resurgence comes despite a proven vaccine and more than two decades of measles elimination.

She warns that the current surge should alarm parents, clinicians, and public-health officials, urging renewed vaccination efforts to prevent further illness and fatalities.