- A surge in measles cases is threatening the US’s elimination status of the disease.
- Cases in 2024 are drastically outpacing previous years.
- Experts say that vaccination levels have fallen although they remain paramount to the national prevention strategy.
A surge in measles cases is threatening the United States’ elimination status, which it has held for more than 20 years.
The US has experienced 338 reported cases of measles between January 1, 2020 and March 28, 2024,
Measles is a viral infection that affects the respiratory system and causes a distinct rash. The disease is also highly contagious.
The United States declared endemic cases of measles eliminated in 2000, but the growing number of cases could upend two decades of public health strategy. Rates of
Susan Hassig, DrPH, MPH, an Associate Professor Emerita at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University, told Healthline that the CDC’s report is, “A very clear warning that we need to pay a bit more attention to measles vaccination.”
Hassig did not work on the report.
The lead author of the report,
Of the 338 reported cases of measles in the CDC’s report, the vast majority occurred in individuals who were unvaccinated or of unknown vaccination status. In total these two groups accounted for 91% of all reported…
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