Measles is a growing concern around the world, warns CDC in an alert message to doctors

Enlarge / A baby with measles.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning clinicians about the increasing risk of measles cases and outbreaks due to a global surge in transmission. In a message sent on Thursday, the CDC advised doctors to be on the lookout for patients with a rash accompanied by a fever and other symptoms of measles, as well as those who have recently traveled to countries experiencing measles outbreaks.

Between December 1, 2023, and January 23, 2024, the US has seen 23 confirmed cases of measles. Out of these, seven were directly imported by international travelers and two were outbreaks with more than five cases each, the CDC stated. Most of these cases occurred in unvaccinated children and teens.

Outbreaks of measles in the US are usually sparked by unvaccinated or undervaccinated residents who contract the infection abroad and then spread it to pockets of their communities that are also unvaccinated or undervaccinated.

Internationally and in the US, vaccination rates against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) have declined in recent years due to disruptions in healthcare caused by the pandemic and vaccination hesitancy fueled by misinformation.

The CDC’s message, titled “Stay Alert for Measles Cases,” underscored the increased number of measles importations in recent weeks, reflecting a global rise in measles cases and a growing threat from the disease.

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the European region has seen a more than 40-fold increase in measles cases in 2023 compared with 2022. The region reported over 42,200 measles cases last year, compared with just 941 in 2022.

This week, the WHO reported a rapid surge in measles cases in Kazakhstan, which the organization considers part of the European region. Kazakhstan recorded the highest incidence of measles cases in the region, with 13,677 cases in 2023, corresponding to over 639 cases per million in the population. Kazakhstan’s health minister reported that there are “currently 2,167 children in hospital with measles, 27 of them in a serious condition.”

The outbreak in Kazakhstan is mainly driven by unvaccinated children who missed their routine immunizations during the pandemic. The WHO noted that 65 percent of reported measles cases are in children under the age of 5. The country is now making efforts to catch up on children’s vaccinations to contain the outbreak.

The WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, Hans Henri P. Kluge, stressed the high infectivity of measles and praised Kazakhstan for taking urgent measures to halt the spread of the disease.

Measles is also resurging in many other places. The UK Health Security Agency recently warned about the potential for a continuing measles outbreak. As of January 18, the West Midlands region had reported 216 confirmed cases and 103 probable cases since October 2023. Authorities cautioned that regions with low MMR vaccination rates are at risk of outbreaks.

The majority of Americans have received their MMR vaccines on schedule. The two standard recommended doses are considered 97 percent effective against measles, providing lifelong protection. However, individuals who are unvaccinated or undervaccinated are at high risk of infection if exposed. The virus can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area and is highly infectious—up to 90 percent of unvaccinated individuals exposed will become ill. Once infected, people are contagious from four days before the telltale measles rash develops to four days afterward.

Author: OpenAI