US measles elimination status revoked as outbreak spreads through 45 states - report
The US achieved measles elimination status in 2000 through immunization campaigns and the creation of a program enabling free vaccines for millions of children.
The United States has lost its measles elimination status, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a specialized agency of the World Health Organization, made the announcement on Friday. The US had achieved measles elimination status in 2000, thanks to extensive immunization campaigns and the provision of free vaccines for millions of children.
Elimination status does not imply that a country has never experienced a case of measles; rather, it indicates that the disease does not develop and spread within the country. Outbreaks only occur when a case is imported from elsewhere. A country loses its elimination status when it is found that measles has become endemic, meaning the same strain of measles has been circulating in the US continuously for 12 months or more.
This development comes amidst a measles outbreak that has spread across multiple states in the US, coupled with declining immunization rates and increasing vaccine hesitancy. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long expressed doubts about the safety of measles vaccines, despite a lack of scientific evidence to support these claims.
As of Thursday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had reported a total of 5,182 confirmed cases of measles to the CDC from 45 states, New York City, and the District of Columbia. This figure surpasses last year's total of 2,289 cases, marking one of the worst measles resurgences in the country in decades.
To halt the transmission of measles, 95% of the population must be vaccinated, creating a phenomenon known as herd immunity. This protection also extends to individuals who are unable to receive the vaccine. Two doses of the measles vaccine are the most effective means of preventing infection and transmission, providing a robust 97% protection against the virus. Measles can lead to serious health complications such as blindness, deafness, brain damage, or even death.
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