With measles cases at a 30-year high in the United States, attention has turned to what is often described as "one of the most contagious viruses" and how mortality and vaccination rates compare to the rising caseload. Measles is a highly contagious virus that was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000, decades after the development of the measles vaccine. Since then, there have been occasional annual spikes in case numbers.
However, vaccination rates have recently fallen below the 95 percent threshold needed to maintain herd immunity. Geetika Sood told Newsweek. That’s very high.” Sood warned that measles “spreads like wildfire” among unvaccinated communities.
At least three people have died from measles complications in the U.S. this year, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed more than 3,400 measles cases nationwide this year across 45 states and Washington, D.C. However, Sood anticipates the actual number of cases to be much higher, as many people, especially those who are unvaccinated, might not go to the doctor even after developing symptoms. Measles symptoms include a high fever, cough, and runny nose, and the hallmark measles rash that can occur three to five days after symptoms begin.
There are also severe complications from measles, such as pneumonia and encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain. Earlier this week, officials warned that people at the Philadelphia International Airport may have been exposed to the highly contagious virus after a traveler with measles passed through the airport between 7:25 p.m. on September 13 and 12:05 a.m. on September 14. The traveler was in terminals B and F, as well as areas connecting to terminals C, D and E, but did not leave the airport.
People who may have been in those areas during the exposure window were urged to check if they were protected against the virus. Nationwide, vaccination rates are around 93 percent, but vaccination rates vary widely depending on location in the U.S., Sood said. "There are some communities that generally tend to not vaccinate so much," Sood said.
"Since 2020, there has been a lot more misinformation and distrust about vaccines. We’ve seen that with plummeting COVID vaccination rates for sure, and it has spilled over to a lot of the childhood vaccinations as well." Despite the surge in cases and drop in vaccination rates, measles mortality rates remain low at about one to three deaths for every 1,000 reported cases, Dr. Steven Goldberg, chief medical officer at HealthTrack, told Newsweek.
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