Cases of highly infectious and preventable measles surged across the globe by 20 percent last year

Cases of measles, a highly contagious viral infection, rose across the world by 20 percent last year.

While measles infections are preventable with doses of the vaccine, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the reason for the rise was inadequate immunization coverage.

“Measles vaccine has saved more lives than any other vaccine in the past 50 years,” World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. “To save even more lives and stop this deadly virus from harming the most vulnerable, we must invest in immunization for every person, no matter where they live.”

The airborne disease is preventable with two doses of the vaccine. To prevent outbreaks, coverage of 95 percent or greater of two doses of the measles vaccine is needed in each country. Measles vaccination averted more than 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023.

But, more than 22 million children missed their first dose in 2023. Only 74 percent of children received the recommended second dose.

As a result of vaccination gaps, 57 countries experienced large or disruptive outbreaks last year. An estimated 107,500 people – the majority of who were children younger than five years old – died due to measles.

That tally marks a slight reduction in deaths because the surge in cases occurred in countries and regions where children with measles are less likely to die.

Measles infections can bring serious and lifelong health impacts. Infants and young children are at greatest risk of complications like blindness, pneumonia and brain swelling.

The agencies said that urgent and targeted efforts are needed to vaccinate all children fully and strengthen disease surveillance.

“The number of measles infections are rising around the globe, endangering lives and health,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen said. “The measles vaccine is our best protection against the virus, and we must continue to invest in efforts to increase access.”

In the U.S., 227 measles cases have been reported so far this year, with 16 outbreaks. Of those cases, 41 percent were in children under the age of five. Of those infected, 89 percent were either unvaccinated or had a vaccination status that was unknown.

U.S. health officials recommend children get their first dose between 12-15 months of age, and the second dose between the ages of four to six years old. Children can receive the second dose earlier as long as it is at least 28 days after the first dose.

While measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, vaccine coverage among kindergarteners is now below the 95 percent target and decreasing as global measles activity increases, raising the risk of bringing an infection back to the U.S. The percentage of children vaccinated by the age of two is 90.8 percent, according to recent data.

Breakthrough infections can occur, especially in communities experiencing an outbreak. But, almost everyone who has not had the vaccine will get sick if they are exposed.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws that require children entering childcare or public schools to have certain vaccinations. There is no federal law that requires this.

It is unclear what future policy will be following President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy is one of the most prominent anti-vaccine activists in the world, and has been accused of having ties to a deadly measles outbreak in Samoa.

Kennedy denied having anything to do with people not being vaccinated in the island country.

Former New York Public Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan told The Associated Press that if people opt against vaccines, potentially deadly viruses could run rampant. He pointed to an uptick in measles this year.

“That’s going to continue if we have someone at the top of our health system that is saying, ‘I’m not so sure about the science here,’” Vasan said.