According to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), measles cases in the United States have surged to 935, affecting 29 states across the country.
Among the states reporting cases are Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
At least six states, including Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, and Texas, are currently experiencing outbreaks defined by three or more related cases.
The CDC also noted that 13% of the confirmed measles patients this year have required hospitalization, with the majority being individuals under 19 years of age.
An alarming trend has been revealed regarding vaccination status among the patients. The CDC reports that about 96% of the nationally confirmed cases involve individuals who are either unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status.
Only 2% of cases have occurred in people who received just one dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, while another 2% are among those who have completed the required two doses.
Dr. Conrad Fischer, chief of infectious diseases at One Brooklyn Health in New York City, expressed his concern about the increase in cases.
“This is a disease that was at the level of complete eradication; this should not be happening,” Fischer stated.
He lamented the societal “amnesia” regarding the severity of measles, highlighting the history of the virus: in the decade prior to the vaccine’s availability, the CDC estimates that between 3 to 4 million people annually were infected with measles, resulting in hospitalizations for about 48,000 individuals and fatalities for around 400 to 500 people.
Before vaccination efforts took effect, the medical community faced serious complications from the disease, including 1,000 cases of encephalitis, a dangerous brain swelling.
Since the measles vaccine was introduced, the disease was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, thanks to a robust vaccination program. However, a decline in vaccination rates in recent years has contributed to the abrupt rise in measles infections.
Texas, where a notable outbreak has emerged, confirmed at least 663 cases by midweek, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Additionally, Denton County reported its first measles case—an adult with unknown vaccination status—who attended a Texas Rangers game.
Similarly, in Chicago, officials documented their first cases of measles this week: one case involved a resident of suburban Cook County with an unknown vaccination status, while another was an adult resident of Chicago who had traveled internationally and received only one dose of the MMR vaccine.
This increase in cases aligns with a World Health Organization (WHO) report indicating that measles cases in the Americas have soared to 11 times higher than the same period last year.
Collectively, six countries—including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Belize, and Brazil—account for a troubling total of 2,318 cases so far this year, compared to only 205 cases reported at the same time last year.
Fischer emphasized the serious nature of measles, which can lead to life-threatening complications, particularly for vulnerable populations such as young children and those with compromised immune systems.
“Measles has a chance to literally destroy your brain, to cause pneumonia, ear infections, and, although it is only fatal in a relatively small number of people, it spreads so amazingly easily that even if it’s only a few percentages, it’s something extremely dangerous,” he explained.
Measles is recognized as the most contagious infectious disease known to humanity, even more so than other severe diseases like tuberculosis.
“For instance, tuberculosis will spread only to two or 3% of the people exposed,” he compared.
“However, if you are not vaccinated and you are exposed to someone with measles, you have a 90% chance of getting that infection.”
Dr. Whitney Harrington, an infectious diseases physician at Seattle Children’s Hospital, warned that the U.S. risks seeing measles return as an endemic disease if vaccination rates do not improve.
The CDC’s current recommendation is for individuals to receive two doses of the MMR vaccine; the first should be administered between 12 to 15 months, and the second between 4 and 6 years.
According to the CDC, one dose of the vaccine is 93% effective, while two doses increase effectiveness to 97%.
Harrington is urging parents who have yet to vaccinate their children to consult with healthcare professionals about the significance and the benefits of vaccination.
“We really know that vaccines are the single most important public health intervention for preventing infectious disease,” she said.
“And we know that they’ve dramatically decreased the number of cases and the severity of cases of many infections, including measles.”
This concerning public health trend raises alarms about the potential resurgence of a disease once considered eliminated from the U.S.
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