update March 10, 2025
Measles in the U.S. has climbed to its highest level in 25 years, closing in on 700 cases this year in a resurgence largely attributed to misinformation that is turning parents against vaccines.
“This is alarming,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert. Not only is measles dangerous in itself, but its return could mean other vaccine-preventable diseases seemingly consigned to the past may be coming back as well, he said.
APNEWS.COM, APRIL 24, 2019
What is measles?
At one time, measles was one of the “usual childhood diseases” that most people Born before 1957 contracted as children prior to the use of the vaccine. It is caused by a virus in the Paramyxoviridae family and spread by person-to-person contact.
The other childhood diseases were
- Rubella, or German measles
- Chicken pox, or varicella
- Roseola
- Fifth Disease, or erythema infectiosum
These all cause a rash, called an exanthem.
Mumps was also a common childhood disease but does not usually cause a rash.
Symptoms of measles include
- cough,
- nasal drainage,
- reddened, inflamed eyes, and
- a rash as pictured below.
Treatment of Measles
Management of measles involves supportive care, meaning controlling fever for comfort, ensuring adequate nutrition and fluids to prevent dehydration.
Vitamin A supplementation is recommended by the World Health Organization and the CDC.
An antiviral drug, ribavirin has been used to treat severe life-threatening cases. It has not been studied in controlled trials, so the FDA has not approved its use.
Most of those infected recover uneventfully but there can be serious complications including pneumonia and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
Preventing measles and other exanthems
After the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963 the number of reported cases was reduced by 99%. In 2000 measles was declared no longer endemic (occurring routinely) in the United States. U.S. public health officials consider an outbreak a major setback in the control of infectious disease.
Measles vaccine is usually administered as a “3 in 1” vaccine- the MMR, which has been vilified as a possible cause of autism, although that has been thoroughly discredited.
The other two letters in the mix stand for mumps and rubella (also known as German measles) both of which are also caused by viruses and for which no treatment exists.
No vaccine exists for roseola or Fifth Disease, but we have an effective vaccine for varicella, commonly called chickenpox.
MEASLES OUTBREAK 2025
According to KFF Health News
“Since the outbreak emerged three weeks ago, the Texas health department has confirmed 90 cases with 16 hospitalizations, as of Feb. 21. Most of those infected are under age 18.
Officials suspect that nine additional measles cases reported in New Mexico, across the border from the epicenter of the Texas outbreak in Gaines County, are linked to the Texas outbreak. Ongoing investigations seek to confirm that connection.
Health officials worry they’re missing cases. Undetected infections bode poorly for communities because doctors and health officials can’t contain transmission if they can’t identify who is infected.
“This is the tip of the iceberg,I think this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.”
Rekha Lakshmanan, chief strategy officer for The Immunization Partnership in Houston, a nonprofit that advocates for vaccine access.
Continue reading this report at
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