PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — According to the CDC, the U.S. has had more cases of measles in the first three months of 2024 than in all of 2023.
Measles is preventable with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. At the turn of the century, measles was virtually eliminated in the United States, but the recent rising numbers are directly related to vaccination rates of children dropping to just 93%.
Children who are not vaccinated are at greatest risk. Twenty percent of unvaccinated children who get measles will be hospitalized, and 5% of those children will develop brain swelling and/or pneumonia.
If vaccination rates continue to drop, the potential for exposure goes up for everyone.
Get more medical reports from Dr. Brian McDonough.
KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
