For decades, measles was a rare disease in the United States, but it is now on the rise, and the country is at risk of losing its "elimination status," Centres for Disease Control and Prevention officials warned in a report released on Thursday. Rates of the extremely contagious sickness began to rise again in 2019, but the CDC said that one-third of the new cases diagnosed in the previous four years were discovered in the first three months of 2024. Health officials are concerned about this pattern, and measles isn't the only old disease reappearing.
In 2023, tuberculosis cases in the United States reached their highest level in a decade, and infections have been detected in schools in Pennsylvania and Las Vegas, as well as in Chicago and California. Polio, a virus that may cause paralysis in its most severe form and was formerly one of the country's most feared diseases, was discovered in New York's Rockland County in 2023 for the first time in ten years.
So, what's driving this rebirth, and where is it happening? Infectious disease experts explain.
Where are measles outbreaks on the rise?
Measles has received the greatest attention, having emerged on both coasts in a couple of weeks and impacting 121 people so far this year. According to the CDC, cases of measles have been documented in 17 states so far in 2024: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.
Many cases are linked to places where unvaccinated persons come into close contact, as well as international travel. Since the virus first spread at a migrant shelter in 2024, Chicago has reported 61 cases. Georgia confirmed its third case of 2024 on Thursday, when an unvaccinated individual who had recently travelled internationally tested positive. Visits to Florida led in cases in at least three other states, including Indiana, Louisiana, and Ohio, according to papers obtained by CBS News in late March. In January, public health officials in Virginia issued a warning about possible measles exposure after a person infected with the disease passed through Dulles International Airport on January 3 and Ronald Reagan National Airport on January 4.
Measles can also spread in schools, daycares, and family gatherings. Nine persons in the Philadelphia area tested positive for measles after an epidemic began at a day care centre in late December 2023. On January 10, Washington state health officials encouraged health care providers to be on the alert for measles symptoms after six people acquired the disease at a family gathering.
The CDC also issued a warning to health care professionals about the rise in measles cases in the United States and around the world, and it advised labs to exercise caution when testing and analysing samples from patients who had symptoms.
What's happening here?
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life that a large part of it is due to a lack of vaccination. "There are some parents who have withheld their children from vaccination," he said. "Vaccines have eliminated these diseases. If you prevent children from receiving vaccinations, you will develop pockets of susceptibility." (It is worth noting that the United States does not currently vaccine against tuberculosis due to the minimal probability of exposure).
To prevent measles from reemerging, around 95% of people must be vaccinated. The CDC reported that in 2022 (the most recent statistics available), 83% of people had received a dose of measles vaccine, down from 86% in 2019.
"As a whole, vaccination rates in this country have drifted downward," Dr. Thomas Russo, professor and infectious disease expert at the University of Buffalo in New York, told Yahoo Life. "In part, it's due to the anti-vaccination movement, but some people missed doses during the pandemic."
People are also travelling again after the epidemic, especially to places of the world where measles and other diseases are more frequent than in the United States, and bringing them back when they return, according to Russo.
According to Schaffner, many people have forgotten what these diseases are like and do not see the importance of protecting themselves or their family from them. "When these diseases are reintroduced to our population, there is always a great surprise at how readily they spread and how ill they can make people," he said. "This historical information hasn't been passed down because we haven't had these diseases in years."
How deadly are these outbreaks?
Dr. William A. Petri, an infectious disease expert at UVA Health, tells Yahoo Life that incidences of these diseases are still rare in the United States. "Measles remains unusual in the U.S. — less than 100 cases per year on an average year," he said. Petri also notes that there was a "modest" increase in tuberculosis cases in the United States in 2022.
However, those who contract these diseases can become quite unwell. "Current parents of young children don't have a clear understanding of how serious these diseases are and they trivialise them," Schaffner said.
According to Russo, measles is one of the most contagious diseases, allowing it to spread swiftly among unvaccinated people. "Some of these diseases are potentially lethal," he said. "Polio is much less common than measles, but it can have significant consequences, such as paralysis." Tuberculosis can produce a cough lasting more than three weeks, coughing up blood and fever, and can be fatal if not treated properly, according to the CDC.
"These are childhood diseases we kept at bay, and they're now making a comeback," Russo said.
When to be vaccinated?
Tuberculosis immunisations are only approved under certain conditions in the United States. However, Petri notes that polio and measles vaccines are included in standard childhood vaccinations.
If you are an adult who has not been vaccinated against certain diseases, experts urge that you do so. "Your primary care physician or health department can give you these vaccines," Petri said. Your doctor may not keep the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, and rubella) or inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) on hand, so call ahead to see if they can be prescribed for you.
"It's not too late to get these vaccines as adults," Schaffner explains. Russo concurs and goes on to say: "The consequences of these diseases can be even more severe in adults than in children."
Comments
Post a Comment