Shiv Telegram Media: U.S. Measles Cases for 2024 Exceed 2023 Total

Measles Cases Spike in the United States, Prompting Concern from Disease Experts

In the last three months, measles cases in the United States have significantly increased, with outbreaks being reported in various locations across the country. The spike in cases is especially concerning as the US had already surpassed last year’s total number of cases.

Outbreaks have been centered in a migrant shelter in Chicago, an elementary school in southeast Florida, and a children’s hospital and day care in Philadelphia. The United States has recorded 64 cases across 17 states so far this year, with most cases linked to international travel and among children who had not received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Chicago reported 33 cases, including 22 cases among children under age 5, connected to an ongoing outbreak at a migrant shelter. Pennsylvania had nine cases from December to January, while Florida reported 11 cases with the outbreak in Broward County now ended.

Experts are concerned about the rise in cases, with vaccination rates falling in recent years. Only 93% of US kindergartners received two doses of the MMR vaccine in the 2022-23 school year. Measles is highly contagious and spreads easily to non-immune individuals, with symptoms including fever, cough, conjunctivitis, runny nose, tiny white spots in the mouth, and a rash that starts at the hairline.

Severe complications from measles can include pneumonia, brain swelling, and bacterial infections. Before vaccines, thousands of people were hospitalized and hundreds died annually from measles in the US. Today, 1 in 5 unvaccinated people with measles are hospitalized and 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 children with measles die from complications, according to the CDC.

While the US is not close to the 2019 total of 1,249 cases when measles elimination status was at risk, the recent surge in cases serves as a reminder of the importance of vaccination in preventing the spread of infectious diseases.