Measles Is Making A Comeback, CDC Alerts Clinicians

vaccination rates drop. (Photo By BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images)

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In a notification sent last week, the CDC warned clinicians to be alert for measles. This alert comes after 23 cases were reported in the U.S. during the past two months. Most of these cases occurred in children who had not been vaccinated.

Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases known. In a susceptible population, the virus can rapidly spread from person to person through the air. And the disease can be severe. According to the CDC, one to two children will die for every 1,000 who get measles. Globally, over 100,000 people die annually from this disease.

But measles is a vaccine-preventable disease.

Typically administered to infants as part of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, the measles vaccine is very effective and very safe. Indeed, in the US, the number of reported cases dropped dramatically after the vaccine was approved for use. And in 2000, measles was declared eliminated in the US. Continuous spread of the virus no longer occurs here.

However, elimination does not mean eradication. Measles still exists. According to the CDC and WHO, approximately 136,000 people died of measles in 2022. Currently, outbreaks are ongoing in several countries, including Yemen, India, Kazakhstan, and Ethiopia. And there has been a significant increase in the number of measles case throughout Europe.

Typically, cases in the United States are imported. An individual living or traveling abroad can become infected and then enter the US. The virus subsequently may spread to susceptible people here.

So, what’s driving the resurgence of measles?

Vaccination rates are dropping. Some of this drop probably can be attributed to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. People delayed many preventive healthcare interventions. Indeed, in 2019, 86% of the world population had received at least one of the two recommended measles vaccine shots. That number dropped to 81% in 2021. Although the number increased slightly in 2022, it remains below pre-pandemic levels.

Some of the drop probably also can be attributed to the troublesome anti-vaccine movement. According to data presented by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the percentage of parents surveyed who thought children should be required to get the MMR vaccine to attend school decreased from 82% in 2019 to 71% in 2022. Among respondents, 28% thought that parents should be able to decide if their children should be vaccinated.

These numbers are worrisome. If vaccination rates fall, then the number of measles cases will increase. It’s as simple as that. Let’s hope this trend doesn’t continue. Let’s hope the CDC’s recent warning doesn’t portend a dramatic resurgence of a preventable disease.

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