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Measles is raging in the U.S. and other parts of the world—even though it is completely preventable by vaccines.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) measles tracker, last updated on August 1 and now updated weekly, shows 203 measles cases in the U.S. this year, in 25 states and the District of Columbia.
That means the number of U.S. cases so far this year is already more than triple the total of last year, when there were 59 cases.
The situation is even more concerning in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region, which includes Central Asia. A WHO report released Aug. 6 reveals there have been 84,754 cases from January to June of 2024, compared to 60,942 for all of last year.
The most affected country in WHO’s Europe Region is Kazakhstan, where there were 40,525 infections between July 2023 and June 2024. In Kazakhstan, 70% of children under 14 are not vaccinated, according to WHO.
Why vaccination matters
A measles vaccine has been available in the U.S. since the 1960s. It is so effective that it officially eradicated the disease in the U.S. and many other countries.
Unfortunately, measles vaccination has lagged since the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing the disease to make a comeback.
The CDC recommends children get their first dose of the combined MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine at 12-15 months of age, and the second dose at 4-6 years of age. Achieving herd immunity to protect a community against measles requires a 95% vaccination rate, but rates below 90% were recorded in 12 U.S. states for the 2022-23 school year.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases. Protecting children is important because they are at the highest risk of long-term complications. A measles infection can be a disabling event, leading to hearing and vision loss, brain and respiratory damage, and even subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a “very rare, but fatal disease of the central nervous system,” according to the CDC.
Among the 82 children under 5 who contracted measles this year, 49 (60%) were hospitalized, according to the CDC.
“The rise of measles is of great concern—a very safe and effective vaccine is available to prevent the disease and greatly decrease the burden on children, parents, schools, and the entire healthcare ecosystem,” according to Phyllis Arthur, EVP and Head of Healthcare Policy and Programs at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO).
