Waning vaccine coverage has fueled a 20% spike in measles cases worldwide, with 10.3 million people struck by the preventable illness in 2023, health officials reported Wednesday.
“Inadequate immunization coverage globally is driving the surge in cases,” of what was once a common childhood disease, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a joint statement issued by both agencies.
“The number of measles infections are rising around the globe, endangering lives and health,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in the statement. “The measles vaccine is our best protection against the virus, and we must continue to invest in efforts to increase access.”