Measles Cases Hit Record Low; Warning Still Given
The lowest incidence of measles cases on record is being experienced in the United States this year, but experts warned Thursday that complacency could lead to another major outbreak.
Just 175 cases were reported in the first six months of 1993, a 99% decrease from the nearly 14,000 cases counted in the first half of 1990, during the peak of a measles epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
Dr. William L. Atkinson, a CDC epidemiologist, said at a news briefing that the 1993 figures represented “the lowest rate ever in the history of the United States.”
Atkinson attributed the low incidence to an aggressive vaccination program that began after a marked resurgence of the disease in the three-year period starting in 1989. The thousands of cases in that period led to 132 deaths, 11,000 hospitalizations and medical expenditures of up to $100 million, he said.
Along with this year’s drop in measles has come a corresponding decrease in mumps and rubella cases, officials said. Vaccinations for all three diseases generally are given at the same time.
Atkinson cautioned, however, that despite the success against measles about 20% of all preschoolers nationally have not been inoculated, so that a potential for resurgence of the disease remains.
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Dr. Donald M. Poretz of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, pointed out that 10 years ago “there were only about 1,500 reported cases of measles in the United States, which was at that time the lowest figure since the vaccine was introduced in 1963.”
Because of this, he said: “Some health authorities felt confident we were close to eliminating this dreaded childhood disease, but that hope was shattered in 1989 with the resurgence of a new measles epidemic.”
Poretz attributed that epidemic “in large part to the failure to vaccinate large segments of young children.” That cannot be permitted to happen again, he said.
Officials said measles is one of the most contagious and dangerous of childhood diseases, often leading to hearing loss and pneumonia.
The United States traditionally has one of the best records for immunizing small children. But Dr. Caroline Hall of the American Academy of Pediatrics said total control of the disease will not take place until parents make certain their children receive a second dose of measles vaccine by junior high school age.
