Health Viewpoints
The global threat of measles outbreaks looms large. Despite significant progress in measles control, outbreaks continue to surge across various regions, jeopardizing public health worldwide.
In Europe, where many countries have lost their measles elimination status in recent years, over 900 cases were reported by the end of February alone, surpassing the total for 2022. In the United States, where the virus was declared eliminated in 2000, dozens, sometimes hundreds, of cases are reported annually, with noticeable spikes occurring every few years.
Lower vaccination rates, often singled out as the main reason behind local outbreaks, don’t tell the whole story.
So what exactly is behind this upsurge? What factors contribute to measles recurrence, and what strategies can be implemented to address the situation?…