July 23, 2026, 5:03 p.mJuly 23, 2026, 5:03 p.m
The measles vaccination is being rejected more and more frequently in the USA – the consequences are noticeable.Image: keystone
Measles is on the rise again: According to the Measles tracker from the renowned Johns Hopkins University, 2,295 people in the USA have already contracted it this year. That is already more than in the whole of last year, when a total of 2,289 were infected.
In fact, the last time this many cases were reported in the United States was in 1991. The number of measles infections this year is at its highest level in 35 years. At least 600 illnesses can be traced back to a major outbreak in South Carolina. Last year, 300 people were infected with the measles virus there. There have also been major outbreaks in Utah and Texas.
The continued transmission of the disease could cost the United States the “eradicated” label issued by the Pan American Health Agency, writes the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP). One reason for the increasing number of infections: In many places, 95 percent of the population is no longer vaccinated against measles. However, this quota must be reached in order for so-called herd immunity to arise.
An epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University is concerned:
“We must urgently address the reasons for the low number of vaccinations, particularly the disinformation that leads to distrust of the measles vaccination.”
Dr. William Moss, John Hopkins
Measles can be fatal, but no one in the United States has died from it so far this year. But an infection can cause other problems: According to CIDRAP, one in five unvaccinated Americans has to go to the hospital if they are infected with measles, while one in 20 develops pneumonia.
(cpf)