In 2025, a measles outbreak in New Mexico reminded a modern society of an ancient truth: the cost of prevention is always less than the cost of neglect. One hundred confirmed cases, one death, and a $5.4 million public response later, researchers placed a precise dollar figure on what happens when vaccination coverage quietly erodes. The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, stands not as an alarm but as an accounting — a ledger entry in the long human argument for collective immunity.
New Mexico measles outbreak cost $5.4M, study finds
One death confirmed among 100 measles cases in the outbreak.