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Measles infections around the world have risen dramatically from their all-time low in 2016, sounding the alarm bells for public health experts around the world. In 2019, the global measles death rate was more than 50 percent higher than in 2016, and total cases increased by 556%, according to a joint report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC) and the World Health Organization. (WHO). Worldwide, measles cases in 2019 were the highest in 23 years. Although the coronavirus pandemic is at the forefront of global attention, it is essential to protect yourself against other dangerous and deadly infectious diseases as well. That means it is critical that people adhere to the recommended vaccination schedule for themselves and their children whenever they have access to vaccines, even during the pandemic.
In the US, there were 1,282 measles cases in 2019, which is the highest number in the country since 1992, according to the CDC. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, WHO says 310,000 measles cases and 6,000 measles deaths were reported in 2019. In Madagascar, UNICEF states that 244,607 cases were reported between August 2018 and November 2019, and 1,080 people, mostly children under the age of 14, died. Samoa, Ukraine, and Brazil also experienced significant measles outbreaks. These figures represent “a significant step backward in progress towards the global elimination of measles,” the report says.
Measles is a very contagious and dangerous disease. Symptoms include a rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes, according to the CDC. One in five people diagnosed with measles will end up hospitalized and up to three in 1,000 people with measles will die, according to the CDC. Children under the age of five, adults over the age of 20, pregnant people, and people who are immunosuppressed are at higher risk for complications.
The virus is spread through the air when a person with measles coughs or sneezes. It can remain in the air for up to two hours after the person with the infection leaves, and is so contagious that 9 out of 10 people who are not vaccinated or otherwise vulnerable will contract the disease if exposed. Like the coronavirus, it is possible for a person to spread this potentially deadly virus before they know they are sick.
Across the world, the main reason behind the rise in measles infections has been inadequate vaccination rates, according to the report. As SELF previously reported, the herd immunity that is achieved through vaccination is vitally important in preventing measles outbreaks. Because the virus is so infectious, 95 percent of people in a community must be vaccinated to prevent an outbreak, said previously William Moss, MD, MPH, executive director of the International Vaccine Center at the Bloomberg School of Public Health of Johns Hopkins. I. In 2018, the U.S. national measles vaccination rate among children ages 19 to 35 months was just 91.5 percent, according to the CDC. But this percentage varies between communities, and the disease is more likely to spread – and it has – when there are unvaccinated groups of people.
The great news here is that the measles vaccine works very, very well and is also incredibly safe. Two doses of the MMR vaccine, which also protects against mumps and rubella, two other infectious diseases, are 97 percent effective against measles, the CDC explains. That is why the CDC strongly recommends that all children receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, first when they are between 12 and 15 months of age, and then again when they are between four and six years old. The organization also recommends that adults make sure they are up to date on all their vaccinations, including MMR.
