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Measles cases in US reach 15-year high
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In 2011, there were more measles cases in the United States than in the previous 15 years, according to the CDC.
Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, said during a teleconference this week that although the United States had declared measles eliminated in 2000, the importation of the disease from other countries remains a problem.
“There are a lot of things we like to bring back when we travel — photographs, local crafts — but last year many US travelers brought back more than they had bargained for,” Schuchat said. “They had returned to our country with measles.”
According to the CDC, 222 measles cases and 17 measles outbreaks were reported from 31 states last year, more than four times the usual number. US residents coming into contact with infected people overseas and international visitors bringing the disease with them to the United States account for the rise in reported cases. “Unfortunately, they cross paths with susceptible, unimmunized people,” Schuchat said.
The mean age of the patients with measles in 2011 was 14 years, according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Of the 222 reported cases, 196 were US residents. Almost half of last year’s measles importations were traced to Europe, the researchers wrote.
“Some of the hardest-hit places are where Americans travel,” Schuchat said.
One hundred forty-one patients who acquired measles in 2011 were unvaccinated, but eligible for vaccination, according to the CDC. Of those, 50 had not been vaccinated because of a “philosophic, religious or personal objections.”
The CDC attributes measles elimination in the United States more than a decade ago to “high [measles-mumps-rubella] vaccination coverage” and population immunity. Schuchat said US citizens should get vaccinated, especially before traveling overseas, and parents should always get their children vaccinated. The CDC also encouraged health care providers to remain vigilant, pointing out that misdiagnoses and delayed reporting resulted in additional measles cases in 2011.
According to Jane Seward, MBBS, MPH, deputy director of the CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases, the last fatal measles cases in the United States occurred between 2001 and 2008, two of which involved a 13-year-old boy and 75-year-old international traveler.
“For those of you traveling abroad, bring back memories, not measles,” Schuchat said.
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