More measles cases in the United States reported in the first five months of 2019 than any other year since 1992

The number of measles cases reported in the United States in 2019 has exceeded that of a whole year since 1992 – and we have not even passed the summer equinox.

Federal health officials broke the protocol and released their weekly update on a Thursday (not a Monday), after reaching the (depressing) mark on May 31, 2019.

Last Thursday, the total was 971, of which 643 were reported in two counties in New York (Rockland County and New York), where eight-month outbreaks continue.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if these outbreaks continue until the fall, the United States may lose their status of measles elimination, goal set in 1996 and reached in 2000.

The last time the United States exceeded these numbers, it was in 1992, the year when 2,126 cases were reported. In the years that followed, an intensive vaccination effort for preschool children (coverage increased from 70% in 1990 to 91% in 1997) resulted in a drop in the number of measles cases to 37 in 2004.

But now, vaccination rates are declining and cases of measles are increasing: a trend triggered by misinformation about the safety of the vaccine and the severity of the disease, says the CDC.

Contrary to the false information circulating online, vaccinations are one of the safest medical products available. Indeed, the measles vaccine would have saved 20.4 million lives worldwide between 2000 and 2016.

Prior to its development in 1963, 3 to 4 million measles cases were reported each year in the United States alone. Approximately 48,000 of them (one in four) led to hospitalization, 1,000 to encephalitis (or brain swelling that may lead to intellectual disability or deafness) and 450 to 500 deaths. The last time there was a resurgence in the United States (1989-1991), 55,622 cases were reported and 123 people died.

There is only one way to prevent this from happening again, namely to vaccinate.

"Measles is preventable and the way to end this epidemic is to make sure that all children and adults who can get vaccinated are, and if so, I want to reassure parents that vaccines are safe and do not cause autism, the disease that vaccination prevents, "said Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, in a statement.

"Your decision to vaccinate will protect the health of your family and the well-being of your community, and the CDC will continue to work with public health stakeholders across the country to end this epidemic."

If you have any concerns, the CDC recommends consulting your doctor. Some people can not be vaccinated for medical reasons – which is all the more important for those who can be vaccinated (explains Romina Libster, scientist and research assistant at the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research). from Buenos Aires). .