Dr. Anthony Fauci of NIH on the measles epidemic

Anti-vaccination activists' agenda could weigh heavily on US economy as measles epidemic forces people not to work and seek medical care, National Institute of Allergy Diseases director said Monday and infectious.

"If you end up with more infections and preventable diseases through immunization, these are completely preventable burdens for the economy," said Dr. Anthony Fauci at CNBC. "When people get sick, they lose their job, they lose their finances, [and] they have hospitalization expenses. "

There is still no official data on how this year's measles epidemic – the most serious in the United States since the disease was declared eradicated in 2000 – could affect the economy in the short term. term.

However, data from the 2013 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that an inpatient for measles could face a hospital bill ranging from $ 4,032 to $ 46,060. In addition, a study from the University of North Carolina showed that vaccine-preventable diseases in adults cost the economy nearly $ 9 billion in 2015, with 80% of these costs being assumed by unvaccinated persons. The study was funded by Merck, one of the leading vaccine producers.

On Friday, President Donald Trump, who had questioned vaccine safety in the past, urged people to get vaccinated against measles. Health officials in New York, where the current epidemic is the worst, have declared public health emergencies and are scrambling to vaccinate people. The Food and Drug Administration also reiterates to the public that vaccines are safe and effective.

The latest CDC figures, released Wednesday, show 695 cases of measles in 22 states.

The calls to action by federal and local officials are part of the growing misinformation efforts of anti-vaccination activists, a vocal fringe opposed to vaccinations. They believe, contrary to scientific evidence, that the ingredients of a vaccine can be harmful to the body.

Fauci, who helped develop an AIDS vaccine, warned that measles itself is dangerous and can kill. The disease, before vaccines are available, has killed an average of 2-3 million people a year worldwide, he said. "In the United States, there were about 2 million cases [of measles] and about 500 deaths a year ".

"The false information that measles is not a serious illness is just not true," Fauci added in an interview with "Squawk Box".