Measles cases have now been reported in 13 states this year, after Maryland’s Department of Health confirmed a case on Sunday in a Maryland resident who traveled internationally.
Measles is an infectious disease that can be serious, particularly among young children.
“Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases among humans,” virologist and Johns Hopkins University professor Andrew Pekosz said. “If you’re in the room with someone infected with measles, there’s a 95% chance that you’ll be exposed to the virus and potentially infected if you’re not vaccinated.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed 222 cases of measles in the U.S. as of March 6. A third of those cases were in children under the age of five years old.
Two deaths have been connected to measles this year, both in individuals who were unvaccinated.
“If you’re vaccinated against measles, you really have very little concern with the current outbreaks of measles going on,” Pekosz said. “But if you’re unvaccinated, you’re highly susceptible to infection.”
The rising number of measles cases is taking place amid increased vaccine skepticism. A poll from KFF found 82% of parents of children under the age of 18 say they normally keep their child up to data with recommended vaccines. That’s down eight percentage points from 2023.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has made cuts to public health agencies and is now offering a $25,000 buyout to most employees at the Health and Human Services Department. Those buyouts would include staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health as well as the Food and Drug Administration.
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Pekosz is among the health experts who worries about the impact of these cuts.
“I think the real effect of cuts at NIH and CDC is the lack of communication about the measles vaccine and its effectiveness,” Pekosz said. “HHS performs a lot of functions that help maintain the health and safety of the U.S. population. Mass layoffs, people leaving the agency, are all going to affect the ability of that agency to maintain its ability to respond and maintain the health of the population.”
