Measles was officially declared eradicated in the U.S. more than 20 years ago, but new outbreaks of the disease are popping up — and experts say declining vaccination rates are jeopardizing herd immunity and increasing the risk.
In Philadelphia, nine cases were reported after a cluster started in a hospital and spread to other medical facilities and a day care center. Measles is a highly contagious and potentially deadly virus that causes a tell-tale rash.
Measles would be gone if we wanted it to be. We’ve had a highly effective, safe vaccine for it for 60 years. But because of rising anti-vaccine sentiments, measles is back, with recent cases in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Virginia. Unless we tackle the misinformation that is at the root of vaccine hesitancy, more children will get sick from this and other nasty, preventable diseases in 2024.
The U.S. is not the only high-income country seeing measles outbreaks. Europe saw a thirty-fold increase in cases last year. In England, the West Midlands is currently experiencing its highest rates since the 1990s, with health leaders urging a national call to action on measles. Officials in Sydney, Australia have recently issued a measles alert as cases are being identified there. The problem is even worse in low-and-middle countries, with measles still common in many countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Globally, there were an estimated 9 million cases and 136,000 deaths in 2022 alone.
Despite having a very effective and easily available vaccine, measles outbreaks have continued to pop up in the United States over the last two decades.
Most recently, there have been eight cases confirmed in Philadelphia since December 2023, all among unvaccinated individuals. Additionally, a person with measles traveled through D.C.-area airports and cases have been identified in Delaware, New Jersey and Washington state, according to local reports.
In 2023, there were 41 confirmed cases of measles, according to incomplete data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Traveling during the holidays comes with many risks — overbooked flights, delays, bad weather and exposure to COVID-19. And now, people can add exposure to measles to the list. Measles is a viral disease that causes a characteristic rash. The Virginia Public Health Department has issued a warning to people who were at Dulles International Airport on Jan. 3 and Ronald Reagan National Airport on Jan. 4 of this year. Specifically those who were near the international arrivals area of the main terminal at Dulles airport between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Jan. 3, and to those in Terminal A of the Ronald Reagan airport between 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on January 4, 2024, as they might have been exposed to measles.
Quenten Thomas, 27, a father of three young kids in Maryville, Tennessee, died last week due to complications of the flu.
He was coughing and having trouble breathing, his father, Robert Thomas, told NBC News.
“It hurt really bad when he coughed, and he was having trouble catching (his) breath,” Robert Thomas recalled. He’d been using a finger monitor to keep track of his blood oxygen levels. “He noticed his oxygen was dropping, so he went to the hospital asking for oxygen first,” Robert Thomas said.
January marks Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, a time dedicated to educating and spreading awareness about cervical cancer, its prevention, and the significance of early detection. Cervical cancer remains a significant health concern worldwide, but advancements in medical science have provided powerful tools for prevention, particularly through the development of HPV vaccines. The theme for Cervical Health Awareness Month in 2024 is “Learn. Prevent. Screen”, which mainly emphasises the need of educating individuals about reducing cervical cancer risks and the life-saving benefits of frequent checkups.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending new vaccines for adults and kids in 2024, according to its latest annual guidelines finalized Jan. 11. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a collection of medical and public-health experts who regularly review evidence and research about vaccines, compiled the new guidelines.
Like it does every year, ACIP recommends that American adults receive an annual flu shot and several standard vaccinations, such as those for chickenpox (if they haven’t had it already) and tetanus. For infants and children, the pediatric immunization plan that includes shots such as the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine remains mostly the same.
Fresh off the holidays, and now in the heart of winter, respiratory viruses are making their seasonal rounds through Colorado. And much like a lingering guest, the crud is sticking around longer than anyone wants.
“We’re seeing a lot of flu,” said Dr. Michelle Barron, Senior Director of Infection Prevention at UCHealth. “So certainly, if you’re down for the count, and you’re feeling it, it might be the flu.”
She said COVID, RSV, and the common cold are also circulating.
More than three years into the pandemic, hundreds of Americans are still dying from COVID-19 every week.
For the week ending Dec. 9, the last week of complete data, there were 1,614 deaths from COVID, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The last four weeks of complete data show an average of 1,488 weekly deaths.
By comparison, there were 163 weekly deaths from the flu for the week ending Dec. 9, according to CDC data.
Read more at ABC.
A measles outbreak in Philadelphia has expanded to eight confirmed and three suspected cases with three patients hospitalized, city health officials said Monday. Vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and polio remain a public health threat. And with childhood vaccine hesitancy on the rise, the problem could get worse.
Officials at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health are now warning the public about several known exposure sites across the city, including healthcare facilities and a daycare center.
