There are no reported measles cases in the Dayton region, but Public Health – Dayton and Montgomery County is reminding parents to stay up-to-date with their children’s immunization schedules.
In 2021, a record high of nearly 40 million children worldwide missed a measles vaccine dose, the CDC and World Health Organization said. There were 25 million children who missed their first dose and an additional 14.7 million children who missed their second dose.
“We want to remind people and reiterate the importance of those vaccinations they can get,” said Dan Suffoletto, public information manager at Public Health. “(During COVID), there was a lot of disruption in routine medical care and procedures.”
There is no treatment for the virus, which is potentially deadly, but a vaccine has been available since 1963. Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, but anti-vaccination sentiment has allowed the virus to reemerge in recent years, the CDC said. The COVID-19 pandemic has also caused additional disruptions to vaccination schedules.
“The record number of children under-immunized and susceptible to measles shows the profound damage immunization systems have sustained during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky. “Measles outbreaks illustrate weaknesses in immunization programs, but public health officials can use outbreak response to identify communities at risk, understand causes of under-vaccination, and help deliver locally tailored solutions to ensure vaccinations are available to all.”
Across the globe, there were an estimated 9 million cases and 128,000 deaths from measles in 2021. Twenty-two countries experienced large and disruptive outbreaks. Also in 2021, nearly 61 million measles vaccine doses were postponed or missed due to COVID-19-related delays in immunization campaigns in 18 countries.
Measles is very contagious and spreads to about nine out of 10 unvaccinated children who are exposed, even before children have symptoms, according to the CDC. Measles virus can live for up to two hours in an airspace after an infected person leaves an area. Traditionally, about 20% of children with measles will need to be hospitalized, but the Columbus outbreak has seen 40% hospitalized.
Health officials say 95% or more of the population needs to have had two doses of the measles vaccine to create herd immunity in order to protect communities and maintain large-scale measles elimination. The world is well under that, the CDC said, with only 81% of children receiving their first measles-containing vaccine dose, and only 71% of children receiving their second measles-containing vaccine dose. These are the lowest global coverage rates of the first dose of measles vaccination since 2008, although coverage varies by country.
“The paradox of the pandemic is that while vaccines against COVID-19 were developed in record time and deployed in the largest vaccination campaign in history, routine immunization programs were badly disrupted, and millions of kids missed out on life-saving vaccinations against deadly diseases like measles,” said WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Getting immunization programs back on track is absolutely critical. Behind every statistic in this report is a child at risk of a preventable disease.”
If people do not get recommended vaccinations, Public Health said diseases like measles, polio, and whooping cough will become more common, putting children at risk of serious complications from diseases that can be prevented by available vaccines.
The CDC recommends all children get two doses of MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age, and the second dose at four through six years of age.
The measles vaccine is safe and effective with hundreds of millions of doses given safely over the last 50 years, Public Health said. Contact your local pharmacy or healthcare provider.
In addition, Public Health is providing measles vaccinations at its clinic at located in the Reibold Building, 117 South Main St. in downtown Dayton. To schedule an appointment, call 937-225-4550.
