According to new data in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the number of countries reporting large measles outbreaks has increased by 68% compared to 2021. In total, 22 countries were reporting large outbreaks in 2021. The majority of these outbreaks occurred in Africa or the Eastern Mediterranean. Four regions were affected by these large outbreaks.
Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that can easily infect humans. The CDC states that up to 9 in 10 people without immunity can become infected after being exposed to the virus. The infectious virus can linger in the air for up to two hours.
Measles can lead to hospitalizations, deaths, and a range of complications such as blindness or brain damage.
Measles Cases Surge Worldwide Due to Decline in Vaccination Rates
Health officials are sounding the alarm as measles cases continue to rise globally, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating the problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of people worldwide who have received the first dose of a measles vaccine has dropped from 86% in 2019 to just 81% currently. In low-income countries, vaccination coverage has plummeted even further, from 71% in 2019 to 66% in 2022.
Cynthia Hatcher, head of the CDC's measles elimination team for the African region, expressed concern about the impact of the pandemic on routine immunizations. "It's really the accumulation of people who haven't been vaccinated against measles. The COVID-19 pandemic added an enormous amount of strain to health systems that were already struggling to deliver routine immunizations," said Hatcher.
Hatcher spoke with CBS News during a World Health Organization meeting in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, where discussions focused on vaccine preventable diseases such as meningitis, measles, rubella, yellow fever, and tetanus. She emphasized that while the pandemic may be largely over, health systems have not fully recovered, leading to a rise in preventable diseases.
The current surge in measles cases is approaching the levels seen in 2019, when there was a global resurgence of the virus. In that year, there were an estimated 9,828,400 infections, marking a setback in efforts to eliminate measles transmission.
Hatcher attributed the temporary dip in cases during 2020 to changes in precautions and travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, she noted that the massive surge in 2019 could have also temporarily blunted transmission.
"A significant number of individuals, especially children, have been exposed to the measles virus, leading to a certain level of immunity through infection. However, this is not ideal as it poses a risk of complications and even death," stated an expert.
As the number of measles cases continues to rise, experts are concerned that this increase could indicate other emerging issues resulting from gaps caused by the ongoing pandemic.
"When we talk about measles, we are referring to a vaccine that should be administered through the routine healthcare system," explained Hatcher, who likened the rise in cases to a warning sign. She added, "We must also acknowledge that these healthcare systems are likely failing to provide other essential health services."
Measles Cases in the United States Last Year
The global surge in measles cases coincides with efforts by health officials to reverse a long-standing decline in routine immunizations across the United States.
Vaccine exemptions have reached their highest recorded levels nationwide.
The MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella, is estimated to be 93% effective after one dose and 97% effective after two doses, according to the CDC's official website.
The CDC has been keeping track of reported measles cases and outbreaks.
Officials had also warned ahead of this past summer of a potential resurgence in cases, as travel rebounded in the wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic. A large outbreak in American Samoa shuttered schools there earlier this year.
"There were several measles outbreaks last year, and they were all tied back to importations from countries that were experiencing outbreaks," Hatcher said.
Cases remain lower than the previous peak in 2019, which had ranked as one of the largest outbreaks within the U.S. since the virus was declared "eliminated" from the country in 2000.
Hatcher said 2019's increase within the U.S. was linked to outbreaks abroad, combined with the virus spreading into a large group that had been unvaccinated.
"In all it took was one exposure for it to really spread throughout that entire community," she said.
