MEASLES IN THE UNITED STATES, JANUARY 1–AUGUST 24, 2013

Tuesday, 4th of February 2014

[source]MMWR[|source]

During 2013, nearly two thirds of the measles cases reported in the US came from three outbreaks. In these outbreaks, transmission occurred after introduction of measles into communities with pockets of persons unvaccinated because of philosophical or religious beliefs. This allowed for spread to occur, mainly in households and community gatherings, before public health interventions could be implemented. Despite progress in global measles control and elimination, measles importations are likely to continue posing risks of measles outbreaks in unvaccinated communities. Maintaining high MMR vaccination coverage is essential to prevent measles outbreaks and sustain measles elimination in the United States.

In this report, the authors document 23 measles importations reported by U.S. residents. In addition, the report articulates that the source of imported cases continues to be most often the WHO European Region, a popular destination for U.S. travelers and an area where measles continues to circulate.   More details are available at:  http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6236a2.htm

 

Abstract

Measles is a highly contagious, acute viral illness that can lead to complications and death. Although measles elimination (i.e., interruption of continuous transmission lasting ≥12 months) was declared in the United States in 2000, importation of measles cases continues to occur. During 2001-2012, the median annual number of measles cases reported in the United States was 60 (range: 37-220), including 26 imported cases (range: 18-80). The median annual number of outbreaks reported to CDC was four (range: 2-16). Since elimination, the highest numbers of U.S. cases were reported in 2008 (140 cases) and 2011 (220). To update measles data, CDC evaluated cases reported by 16 states during January 1-August 24, 2013. A total of 159 cases of measles were reported during this period. Most cases were in persons who were unvaccinated (131 [82%]) or had unknown vaccination status (15 [9%]). Forty-two importations were reported, and 21(50%) were importations from the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region. Eight outbreaks accounted for 77% of the cases reported in 2013, including the largest outbreak reported in the United States since 1996 (58 cases). These outbreaks demonstrate that unvaccinated persons place themselves and their communities at risk for measles and that high vaccination coverage is important to prevent the spread of measles after importation.