Measles cases in Georgia and the U.S. surged to levels in 2025 that haven’t been seen in three decades, fueled by declining childhood vaccinations. Public health officials say the trend mirrors a tragedy that unfolded a world away on the island nation of Samoa in 2019, when false claims about vaccine safety helped trigger a deadly outbreak that killed 83 people – most of them children. Experts warn the U.S. is on a similar path, with vaccine skepticism growing, amplified by social media and mixed messaging from the nation’s top public health official, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Atlanta News First Investigates traveled to the south Pacific island nation to learn what happened and how Georgia and the U.S. can learn from its mistakes. This series was made possible with support from the Pulitzer Center.
Judges’ comments:
Fascinating angle and beautiful storytelling. Interviewing mothers, nurses and health officials in Samoa brings an angle the judges haven’t heard before to a widely-covered subject (RFK Jr’s anti-vaccine stances). The reporting covers a wide range of sources and answers all the questions a viewer might have, while tying everything together into a powerful and memorable story arc.