U.S. CDC and Doctors Raise Alarm about Rising Measles Cases, Urges Vaccination

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory on Monday, March 18, 2024, urging people—especially children and international travelers—to take vaccines against measles due to a spike in cases this year.

Throughout 2023, the CDC recorded 58 measles cases. However, as of March 14, 2024, the agency has recorded the same number across 17 jurisdictions. The majority of the cases recorded this year are children aged 12 months and older who didn’t receive the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Also, 93% of the cases were linked to international travel. 

“Healthcare providers should ensure children are current on routine immunizations, including MMR,” said the agency in an advisory to healthcare providers.

Notwithstanding the rising cases of measles, the CDC dismissed the possibility of a widescale spread citing high immunity levels in most U.S. communities. However, the agency admitted that some neighborhoods may have a greater likelihood of outbreaks. 

Measles outbreaks have been reported in several countries

Outside the United States, outbreaks have also been reported in the United Kingdom and Austria, thus the need for travelers to make sure they are vaccinated. Measles is highly contagious with unvaccinated people having as much as 90% chance of contracting the disease when they come in contact with infected people.

In 2021 according to the World Health Organization, it was estimated that 128,000 people died from the disease, and the majority of them were children. In January, an outbreak was reported in Philadelphia while in February a large outbreak was reported in Florida.

In 2000, the United States was declared free from measles, a status conferred on a nation when there is no continuous local disease transmission over 12 months. Although the United States has retained its “eliminated” status for measles, the country recorded 1,274 cases in 2019. However, all the cases had a history of travel. 

American Medical Association has stressed the need for vaccination against measles

On Monday, March 18, 2024, the American Medical Association urged Americans to get vaccinated against measles. To prevent an outbreak, 95% of the population needs to be vaccinated. However, the CDC warned that measles vaccine coverage declined to 93.1% in the 2022-2023 school year compared to 95.2% in the 2019-2020 school year. The statistics mean that around 250,000 kindergartners have been susceptible to contracting measles each year over the past three years. 

"We are reminding physicians to talk with their patients about the health risks associated with not being vaccinated and to make a strong recommendation for vaccinations, unless medically inadvisable," said Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, president of the American Medical Association.

Globally, the coverage of measles vaccination has declined which also further raises the risk of a global outbreak. The CDC also said travelers continue to import cases into the country.