NIH calls for renewed focus on measles vaccinations following outbreaks

Due to declines in measles vaccinations in recent years, there have been outbreaks of the disease all over the world, and medical experts say it could rebound in full force if not addressed.

Experts at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Penn State University College of Medicine’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, called for a renewed focus on measles vaccinations, according to a new commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In 2000, measles was declared to be eliminated in the United States, when no sustained transmission of the virus was seen in this country for more than 12 months. But in 2019, there have been reported outbreaks across the country due to a decline in vaccine coverage.

Measles is an extremely contagious illness transmitted through respiratory droplets and aerosolized particles that can remain in the air for up to two hours. The disease is characterized by fever, malaise, nasal congestion, conjunctivitis, coughing, and a red, splotchy rash. Most people with measles recover without complications within a week. However, the consequences can be more severe for infants and people with immune deficiencies.

Before the measles vaccine was developed, the disease killed between two and three million people every year worldwide. Today, measles still causes more than 100,000 deaths globally each year.

The authors say that each complication and death related to measles is a “preventable tragedy that could have been avoided through vaccination.” However, some people decide not to vaccinate their kids for fear that it raises the risk of autism. The authors say this is a falsehood based on a debunked and fraudulent claim. A very small number of people have valid medical contraindications to the measles vaccine, but almost everyone can be safely vaccinated they say.

When levels of vaccine coverage fall, unvaccinated children and immunocompromised people at greater risk. The authors cited the example of where a single child with measles infected 23 other children in a pediatric oncology clinic, with a fatality rate of 21 percent. If vaccination rates continue to fall, measles outbreaks may become even more frequent. They conclude by saying that measles is one of the most easily prevented contagious illnesses. It is possible to eliminate and even eradicate the disease, but that will require collective action on the part of parents and healthcare practitioners.