Measles Vaccine: CDC Urges Doctors Around The World To Spread Awareness As Cases Rise Globally

Measles is highly contagious with one infected person infecting 9 out of 10 unvaccinated individuals with whom they ‘come in close contact’.

While the World Health Organization (WHO) has already warned that more than half of the world will be at a ‘high or very high risk’ of measles outbreaks by the end of 2024 — because of ‘big gaps in immunization programs’ — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now urged doctors around the world to fill in these gaps and raise awareness about the availability of vaccines for children and grown-ups, so as to arrest the spread of the highly-contagious disease caused by a virus.

Measles spreads when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, and can cause severe complications and even death. While it can affect anyone, it is most common in children.

According to reports, US health officials have been warning doctors about the ‘dramatic rise’ in measles cases around the world, urging families travelling to a measles-affected country to get their babies as young as 6 months vaccinated before leaving. The CDC, meanwhile, issued a health advisory to doctors on March 18, 2024, asking them to ‘provide guidance on measles prevention for all international travellers aged 6 months and all children aged 12 months who do not plan to travel internationally’.

According to the CDC, measles is highly contagious with one infected person infecting 9 out of 10 unvaccinated individuals with whom they ‘come in close contact’. In fact, from January 1 to March 14, 2024, CDC has been notified of 58 confirmed cases of measles across 17 jurisdictions in the US, including seven outbreaks in seven jurisdictions compared to 58 total cases and four outbreaks reported in the entire year of 2023.

The alert has been issued ahead of the spring/summer travel season. According to CDC, many countries, including travel destinations like Austria, the Philippines, Romania, and the United Kingdom, are experiencing measles outbreaks.

“To prevent measles infection and reduce the risk of community transmission from importation, all US residents travelling internationally, regardless of destination, should be current on their MMR vaccinations. Healthcare providers should ensure children are currently on routine immunizations, including MMR,” it stated.

For the unversed, MMR is a combination vaccine used to provide protection against three viral diseases: measles, mumps and rubella, and the health complications that arise with them. All children are recommended to get two doses of MMR vaccine.

Dr Nirav Shah, CDC’s principal deputy director was quoted as saying by CNN: “For vaccinated individuals the likelihood of contracting measles is thankfully not what it was in days gone by, because the vaccination rates are high. That said, we are concerned that vaccination rates have fallen just a little bit from 95 per cent to 93 per cent.”

Currently, India is among the 46 countries where there is an ongoing measles risk.

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