CBS News reports:
The number of countries battling disruptive outbreaks of measles surged to 37 last year, a report published by the CDC confirmed Thursday, as officials warn that the global fight against the disease has struggled to recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Measles can be deadly, especially in children, but it is preventable with a common vaccine.
This marks a 68% increase from 2021, when 22 countries were reporting large outbreaks, according to the new data in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Measles is one of the most contagious airborne diseases known to infect humans. Up to 9 in 10 people without immunity will get infected after being exposed, the CDC says, with infectious virus lingering in the air for up to two hours. An estimated 9,232,300 people worldwide were infected and 136,200 died from measles last year.
USA Today reports:
Measles deaths across the globe nearly doubled last year, according to new data released Friday by leading health agencies. The 43% spike is attributed to a dramatic decrease in vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During that time, immunization levels dropped to their lowest in 15 years, the CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) said in the report.
Measles vaccination rates are still hanging around 90% in the U.S. In 2022, about 93% of U.S. kindergarteners had received state-required vaccinations for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), according to CDC data from November.Vaccination rates vary by state, however.
According a map at the second link above, Georgia, Idaho, and Wisconsin have the lowest measles vaccination rates at around 83%.
“Staggering” rise in global measles outbreaks in 2022, CDC and WHO report https://t.co/hkYrZOlEfM
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) November 16, 2023
