US Measles Outbreaks Surge as Vaccination Rates Slip

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 4,459 measles cases in the past 18 months, with notable outbreaks in South Carolina, Texas, Utah and a year‑long surge in Utah. Low vaccination coverage—under 84 % of children in Utah and only one‑quarter of Somali‑American children in Minnesota receiving the first MMR dose by age two—has been linked to the resurgence.

Patsy Stinchfield, pediatric nurse practitioner and executive director of the Measles Collaborative, warned, “The virus is the same as it has been. It came back because we let our guard down… we’ve got to keep our vaccine rates up.” Experts also highlighted the role of misinformation in the Somali community, where false claims that the MMR vaccine causes autism have delayed vaccinations. The measles virus remains highly contagious, with an R₀ of 12‑18 and the ability to linger in the air for up to two hours, underscoring the urgent need for public‑health outreach and higher immunization rates.