Nearly 1,300 cases of measles have been confirmed in the U.S. so far this year — making it the highest number of infections in more than three decades, according to data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Measles, a highly contagious and sometimes fatal viral disease spread through respiratory droplets, was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.
That means there was no continuous spread of the disease for at least 12 months, a “historic achievement” accomplished by a “highly effective vaccination program” and better measles control in the country.
This year, however, 1,288 confirmed measles cases and 27 outbreaks have been reported across 39 U.S. jurisdictions — including New York State and New York City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania — already surpassing the 1,274 cases reported in 2019, with six months still left in the year.
In comparison, last year the U.S. saw only 16 outbreaks — defined as three or more related cases — with 69% of cases (198 of 285) associated with them.
According to the CDC, this year’s surge represents the highest number of U.S. measles cases in over 30 years, raising concerns among health officials and experts about declining vaccination rates and gaps in immunity.
Lauren Gardner, who leads Johns Hopkins University’s independent measles and COVID tracking databases, called the current surge “a little bit of a ‘canary in a coal mine.’”
“It’s indicative of a problem that we know exists with vaccination attitudes in this country and just, I think, likely to get worse,” she added.
The measles vaccine — given as part of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella — is 97% effective at preventing measles after two doses, which should be taken at least 28 days apart.
A peer-reviewed study published last month in JAMA found that measles vaccination rates fell after the COVID‑19 pandemic in nearly 80% of more than 2,000 U.S. counties with available data — including parts of Texas, the state linked to the largest share of this year’s infections.
In February, a child who wasn’t vaccinated died in a measles outbreak in rural West Texas, making it the first U.S. death from the preventable disease in 10 years. Two months later, officials confirmed the death of another child amid the Texas outbreak.
The latter child, identified as an 8-year-old girl, was also not vaccinated against the disease.
With News Wire Services
