HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there are 64 cases of measles in the U.S. so far this year. Dan Stewart is the Chief Medical Officer at Houston Healthcare. He’s a 40-year expert in pediatrics and said measles can be fatal.
"Right now, anywhere in the world today, there's probably going to be about 300 to 350 kids that are going to die from measles today and tomorrow and the next day, and the next day after that," Stewart said.
The reason we don't see that kind of impact in the U.S.?
"One answer and one answer only — and that's vaccinations," Stewart said.
Jocelyn Love is an epidemiologist at the North Central Health District, a branch of the Georgia Public Health Department. She said she's not surprised this is happening.
"We do see an increase in measles cases associated with travel around this time of year, and especially with the reduced vaccinations rate, it something we'll probably continue to see," Love said.
The CDC reported in 2023, the nation saw a total of 58 cases. So far, the recent cases have appeared in 17 states. Symptoms include high fever, cough and what can be a serious rash.
"A professor once told me it's kind of like pouring a bucket of paint over your head. It just kind of goes that way all the way to your feet," Stewart said.
Love said without vaccinations measles could have the capability of sending us into another pandemic. One of the reasons Love said people aren't getting vaccinated is pandemic fatigue.
The CDC said over 61 million doses of measles vaccinations were delayed or missed due to COVID-19.
"Having another pandemic off the back of a previous pandemic could lead to those concerns that you know people just might not take those precautions," Love said.
Stewart said the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine for measles is safe and has been around since 1963 and it's helped minimize outbreaks.
"Vaccine hesitancy has always been the reason why we have outbreaks and even today though our outbreaks aren't anywhere what we had back then. The small outbreaks we have now are because of vaccine hesitancy," Stewart said.
The North Central Health District said the measles vaccine is available at all of the state's public health departments. They ask people who suspect measles symptoms to not go to a hospital, doctor's office, or public health clinic without calling first.