Measles

The response to the 2019 measles outbreaks in the United States cost roughly $42 million, based on estimates outlined in a recent study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, although researchers said this is likely an underestimate.

MAUI, HAWAII — There are several ways that dermatologists in the United States can help infectious disease specialists keep the number of measles and coronavirus cases to a minimum, according to a speaker here at Maui Derm for Dermatologists 2020.

The percentage of Americans who feel strongly that parents should get their children vaccinated has dropped by 10 percentage points since 2001, according to a Gallup poll. The poll showed that only 45% of Americans believe vaccines do not cause autism in children.

A report that found infections were responsible for 13% of all new worldwide cancer diagnoses in 2018 was the top story in infectious disease last week.

European countries that mandated vaccination and imposed stiffer financial penalties for noncompliance had higher vaccination coverage against measles and pertussis, according to a study covering 29 European countries published in Pediatrics.

More than 6,000 people have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, as a result of the “world’s worst measles epidemic,” with the country reporting about 310,000 suspected measles cases since the start of 2019, according to WHO.

The CDC’s announcement that reductions in HIV infections in the United States have stalled in recent years was the top story in infectious diseases last week.

Just 41% of eligible children received the MMR vaccine during pretravel consultation before traveling outside the United States during a recent 10-year period, mainly due to guardian refusal or clinician decision, according to study results published in JAMA Pediatrics.

More than 140,000 people died from measles last year, with most deaths occurring in children aged younger than 5 years, according to findings published in MMWR. Measles cases increased 167% from 2016 to 2018, according to the report, with estimated mortality from the disease increasing since 2017.

Samoa will shut down all public and government services on Dec. 5 and 6 to assist in a mass vaccination campaign to combat a large measles outbreak that has killed 53 people, including 48 children aged younger than 5 years.