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(HealthDay News) — Waning vaccine coverage has fueled a 20 percent spike in measles cases worldwide, with 10.3 million people struck by the preventable illness in 2023, health officials reported Wednesday.
“Inadequate immunization coverage globally is driving the surge in cases,” of what was once a common childhood disease, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a joint statement issued by both agencies.
“The number of measles infections are rising around the globe, endangering lives and health,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in the statement. “The measles vaccine is our best protection against the virus, and we must continue to invest in efforts to increase access.”
“Measles vaccine has saved more lives than any other vaccine in the past 50 years,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the statement. “To save even more lives and stop this deadly virus from harming the most vulnerable, we must invest in immunization for every person, no matter where they live.”
How dire is the situation?
More than 22 million children did not receive even a first dose of the two-dose measles vaccine in 2023, according to the WHO and CDC. Globally, roughly 83 percent of children received a first dose of the vaccine last year, while only 74 percent received a second dose.
Unfortunately, health officials recommend at least 95 percent vaccination coverage to prevent outbreaks. An infected person can spread the highly contagious disease to up to 90 percent of people close to them if they are not immune, according to the CDC.
Because of global gaps in vaccination coverage, 57 countries experienced measles outbreaks in 2023, the agencies noted, representing a nearly 60 percent increase from 36 countries in 2022. Nearly half of all outbreaks occurred in the African region, according to the WHO.
In the United States, measles vaccination rates among kindergartners have missed the federal target for four years in a row and fell to 92.7 percent coverage in 2023, according to CDC data.
The drop in vaccination coverage has had consequences: An estimated 107,500 people worldwide, mostly children under the age of 5, died from measles in 2023.
While that represents an 8 percent decrease from the year before, the agencies said the “slight reduction in deaths” was mainly because the biggest surges took place in regions of the world where children with the disease were less likely to die because they had access to health care.
In the United States, 277 measles cases were reported in 31 states and Washington, D.C., in 2024, with 16 outbreaks, according to the CDC. Last year, only four outbreaks were reported in the United States.
Measles symptoms tend to include a high fever, cough, conjunctivitis (pink eye), runny nose, white spots in the mouth and a rash that spreads from head to toe. Infants and young children are most at risk of serious complications from the disease that include pneumonia or swelling of the brain, the WHO says.
Vaccination coverage for measles fell globally during the pandemic, reaching the lowest levels seen since 2008.
The new data on measles was published Nov. 14 in the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
How does measles affect Black people?
While the classic measles rash is a red, blotchy rash that starts on the face and spreads to the body, it can be more difficult to see on darker skin tones. In individuals with darker skin, the rash may appear as a brownish or grayish discoloration. It’s important to note that other symptoms of measles, such as fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, can still be present, even if the rash is less visible.
Measles disproportionately affects Black Americans due to a complex interplay of historical, social, and economic factors. A legacy of mistrust in the health care system, rooted in unethical medical practices like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, contributes to vaccine hesitancy within Black communities. This, combined with socioeconomic disparities, limited access to healthcare, and the spread of misinformation, can lead to lower vaccination rates among Black Americans. As a result, these communities are more susceptible to measles outbreaks, putting individuals of all ages at risk of severe complications.
More information
The CDC has more on the measles.
SOURCE: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/World Health Organization, joint statement, Nov. 14, 2024; Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Nov. 14, 2024