WHO and CDC warn of ‘relentlessly increasing threat’ of measles
- 41 measles cases were reported in the U.S. so far in 2023
- CDC/WHO: Measles continues to pose increasing threat to children
- Measles cases increased by 18% and deaths increased by 43% in 2022
IOWA CITY, IA – APRIL 27: University of Iowa junior Erica Zamudil, 22, (L) receives a mumps, measles and rubella vaccination shot from nurse Jan Bush at the school’s Student Health Service April 27, 2006 in Iowa City, Iowa. Mass vaccination clinics were set up in college towns across Iowa as public health officials try to contain a mumps epidemic. The University of Iowa has had 62 confirmed cases of mumps. (Photo by Mark Kegans/Getty Images)
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(NewsNation) — The global threat of measles is growing as cases and deaths increase, according to a new joint report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
“Measles continues to pose a relentlessly increasing threat to children,” the groups said in a joint report.
As of Nov. 2, 41 measles cases were reported in the U.S. so far in 2023, according to data from the CDC. More than 120 cases were reported in the U.S. last year, the majority of which came from an outbreak among mostly unvaccinated children in Ohio.
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The CDC and WHO joint report revealed that measles cases increased by 18 percent to 9 million worldwide, and deaths jumped 43 percent with 136,000 reported deaths in 2022. Most cases and deaths were among children in low-income countries, the report stated.
“The increase in measles outbreaks and deaths is staggering, but unfortunately not unexpected given the declining vaccination rates we’ve seen in the past few years,” John Vertefeuille, director of CDC’s global immunization division, said in a statement. “Measles cases anywhere pose a risk to all countries and communities where people are under-vaccinated. Urgent, targeted efforts are critical to prevent measles disease and deaths.”
Measles typically begins with symptoms such as high fever, cough, runny nose or watery eyes, according to the CDC, and measles rash appears three to five days after the first symptoms.
Measles vaccination coverage dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the report did note an increase last year. Still, more than 33 million children missed a measles vaccine dose.
