Measles re-emerges in the US, health authorities sounds alarm

Rashes caused by Measles | Credits: iStock

United States: Measles infection has emerged as a big concern for health officials as cases are popping up and new outbreaks are being reported by health authorities. The major concern has been raised because the infection was declared eradicated in the nation more than 20 years ago.

However, while addressing the risks and concerns associated with the current outbreak, local health officials have mentioned that a decrease in vaccination rates is a major reason behind the outbreaks.

Roots of Measles in the US

The first-ever measles case in the United States was reported in Philadelphia following a cluster of cases reported in a hospital. It is believed that the cases spread to other medical facilities and a daycare center, forming an outbreak.

According to the stats shared by the local health authorities, Philadelphia has registered as many as nine (9) cases to date.

While emphasizing the vaccination status, the Department of Health of Pennsylvania mentioned that approximately 94.3 percent of the kindergarteners of Philadelphia were fully vaccinated during 2021-2022. The children were injected with the MMR vaccine – which provides assured protection against measles, mumps, and rubella.

Visual Representation

However, the stats decreased from 2022 to 2023 and fell to 92.8 percent; however, the percentage for herd immunity was 95 percent.

Co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine – Dr Peter Hotez, mentioned, “That’s really a wake-up call because the real number in many communities is probably far below 93 percent,” according to CBS News.

He furthermore mentioned that such an outbreak attacks a region or a nation when the vaccination rate drops.

Hotez was quoted saying, “Measles does not typically occur among highly vaccinated population. So in that sense, low vaccination rates are the indirect cause of measles,” adding, “My concern is that we’re still going to see additional measles cases, and I worry that… roughly 20% of measles cases require hospitalization. So if this continues, we’re going to start seeing hospitalized kids with measles.”

Elaborating on the vaccination rate in the United States, the health expert outlined that the levels of MMR vaccine have also dropped over the last few years. The current MMR vaccine rate is at 93.1 percent, as per the official stats.

He stated, “We’re just seeing now; this is the tip of the iceberg. We’re going to be seeing this in communities across the United States in the coming weeks and months because of the spillover of the US anti-vaccine movement of childhood immunizations,” according to CBS News.

Further, he emphasized that the trend is not limited to the MMR vaccines; it goes beyond.

Vaccination rates among American kindergartens

Last year, some American kindergarten students were allowed to start school even if they didn’t have all the required vaccines that health authorities usually ask for, according to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The important vaccines quoted by the health authorities are:

  1. Measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR)
  2. Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP)
  3. The poliovirus (polio) vaccine
  4. Varicella vaccine (protects against chickenpox)
Visual Representation for vaccination administration | Credits: UNICEF

Additionally, the health expert emphasized that during 2022-2023, the vaccination coverage remained lower than the pre-pandemic levels among the enrolled students in private and public kindergartens. The level was at 93 percent – which earlier was at 95 percent.

What’s your Reaction?
+1
1
+1
0
+1
0
+1
1
+1
1
+1
1