America appears to be on the precipice of a major measles outbreak, with cases in the first two months of 2024 almost surpassing all of last year – as doctors warn that many young doctors have never seen a patient infected with the virus.
Hundreds of people are already feared to be infected in California and Arizona after cases were confirmed in people in those states who visited local hospitals.
And there are also fears of an outbreak at an 1,800-person migrant shelter in Chicago – after four cases were confirmed, including two among children.
Doctors say vaccines have been so successful that many people now no longer ‘remember what it was like to live with the disease’ – as vaccination rates fall for a third consecutive year.
Millions of migrants have also come to America under President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, with experts warning that overcrowded shelters and low vaccination rates in other countries could leave the US vulnerable to outbreaks.
The map above shows the states that have detected measles cases so far this year
Measles typically begins with cold-like symptoms before causing a rash consisting of small red spots, some of which may feel slightly raised. According to the NHS, it typically starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading further
A total of 45 measles cases were recorded in the United States during the first two months of 2024 across 17 states, data from the CDC suggests, close to the number of 58 infections recorded in all of 2023.
At the same time, the vaccination rate against the virus fell to 93.1 percent for kindergarteners during the 2022 to 2023 school year, the latest available — below the estimated 95 percent needed to stop the virus from spreading.
Measles infections can be easily prevented with the two-dose MMR vaccine, which is more than 97 percent effective against infections with the disease.
The disease is one of the most contagious to humans known and is spread via airborne droplets or contaminated surfaces, with nine out of ten unvaccinated people exposed to the disease developing an infection.
Patients initially suffer from symptoms including a runny nose and red and swollen eyes that are sensitive to light.
But this can quickly develop into a harsh cough and a rash that spreads from the face to the feet and is made up of flat red spots.
The CDC says about one in five people infected with measles are hospitalized, while up to three in every 1,000 patients die from the disease. One in a thousand also develops swelling in the brain.
Dr. Paul Offit, a top vaccine adviser who was involved in treating one of the measles patients reported early this year in Philadelphia, said he was the only doctor treating the patient who had previous experience with the virus.
He told Guardian that vaccines have been so successful that few people now remember what life was like with measles.
“It’s a worrying disease for a number of reasons,” he told the publication, “so I’m worried”.
The World Health Organization also warns that it is detecting the virus ‘everywhere’ internationally and that the world is facing a ‘perfect storm’ of measles cases this year.
The graph above shows the number of measles cases reported in the United States by year
The above shows the number of measles cases registered in the USA per week
In California, about 300 people are being warned they could have been infected after a child infected with the virus visited a medical center.
The patient visited the emergency room at UC Davis outside of Sacramento on March 5 or Tuesday of last week from noon to 10 p.m. 17 – and exposed others to the virus. They had recently returned to the United States from overseas.
In Arizona, health officials have confirmed one case and discovered another probable infection — prompting warnings affecting five locations, including a gym and a drug store.
“Unvaccinated individuals are at greatest risk of developing the disease if exposed,” said local health authority director Kim Musselman.
‘The best protection against measles is to receive the measles vaccine.’
In Chicago, officials are already rolling out vaccines at the migrant haven in an effort to contain the outbreak.
Dr. Larry Kociolek, a pediatrician at Lurie Children’s Hospital, said CBS News: ‘Measles is probably the most contagious virus we know of.
‘On average, one child will spread it to another 18 children if they are not vaccinated.’
Experts are already warning that migrants entering the United States could put the country at risk of an outbreak because many are not up to date on their vaccines.
In April 2023, New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan urged officials and doctors to take extra care when treating or screening migrants to prevent a health crisis.
He noted that 50 percent of the migrants heading to the city’s shelters did not have their polio vaccine.
Dr. Marc Siegel, medical director at New York University, also warned that migrants could bring diseases across the southern border and into the United States — which could include drug-resistant tuberculosis.
People are offered the MMR vaccine between the ages of 12 to 15 months and four to six years to protect themselves from the virus.
But vaccination rates continue to decline in the United States due to the rise of misinformation about vaccines and growing concern about side effects.