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The newly released global estimate is now 25 million children (2 million more than in 2020) missing scheduled vaccines. This continues to bode badly for multiple vaccine-preventable infections, but maybe the most for measles in 2022.
Specifically for measles vaccine, global two-dose coverage was only 71%. Coverage was less than 50% in 8 countries: Chad, Guinea, Samoa, North Korea, Central African Republic, Somalia, Angola, and South Sudan. These eight areas seem ripe for outbreaks this year and indeed Somalia is having an outbreak.
Overall, worldwide measles cases increased 79% in early 2022, compared with 2021. The top 10 countries for measles cases from November 2021 to April 2022, per the World Health Organization, include Nigeria, India, Soma Ethiopia, Pakistan, DR Congo, Afghanistan, Liberia, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast.
In the United States, we have been lucky so far with only 55 cases since the start of 2021. However, MMR two-dose coverage has dropped since the pandemic’s start. The list of U.S. areas with the lowest overall two-dose MMR coverage as of 2021 were D.C. (78.9%), Houston (93.7%), Idaho (86.5%), Wisconsin (87.2%), Maryland (87.6%), Georgia (88.5%), Kentucky (88.9%), Ohio (89.6%), and Minnesota (89.8%). Only 14 states had rates over the targeted 95% rate needed for community (herd) immunity against measles (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71:561-8).
Two bits of good news are that there seems to be some catch-up occurring in vaccine uptake overall (including MMR) and we now have two MMR suppliers in the United States since GlaxoSmithKline’s MMR was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for persons over 1 year of age. Let’s all redouble our efforts at adding to the catch-up efforts.
Christopher J. Harrison, MD, is professor, University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine, department of medicine, infectious diseases section, Kansas City. He has no financial conflicts of interest.
The newly released global estimate is now 25 million children (2 million more than in 2020) missing scheduled vaccines. This continues to bode badly for multiple vaccine-preventable infections, but maybe the most for measles in 2022.
Specifically for measles vaccine, global two-dose coverage was only 71%. Coverage was less than 50% in 8 countries: Chad, Guinea, Samoa, North Korea, Central African Republic, Somalia, Angola, and South Sudan. These eight areas seem ripe for outbreaks this year and indeed Somalia is having an outbreak.
Overall, worldwide measles cases increased 79% in early 2022, compared with 2021. The top 10 countries for measles cases from November 2021 to April 2022, per the World Health Organization, include Nigeria, India, Soma Ethiopia, Pakistan, DR Congo, Afghanistan, Liberia, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast.
In the United States, we have been lucky so far with only 55 cases since the start of 2021. However, MMR two-dose coverage has dropped since the pandemic’s start. The list of U.S. areas with the lowest overall two-dose MMR coverage as of 2021 were D.C. (78.9%), Houston (93.7%), Idaho (86.5%), Wisconsin (87.2%), Maryland (87.6%), Georgia (88.5%), Kentucky (88.9%), Ohio (89.6%), and Minnesota (89.8%). Only 14 states had rates over the targeted 95% rate needed for community (herd) immunity against measles (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71:561-8).
Two bits of good news are that there seems to be some catch-up occurring in vaccine uptake overall (including MMR) and we now have two MMR suppliers in the United States since GlaxoSmithKline’s MMR was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for persons over 1 year of age. Let’s all redouble our efforts at adding to the catch-up efforts.
Christopher J. Harrison, MD, is professor, University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine, department of medicine, infectious diseases section, Kansas City. He has no financial conflicts of interest.
The newly released global estimate is now 25 million children (2 million more than in 2020) missing scheduled vaccines. This continues to bode badly for multiple vaccine-preventable infections, but maybe the most for measles in 2022.
Specifically for measles vaccine, global two-dose coverage was only 71%. Coverage was less than 50% in 8 countries: Chad, Guinea, Samoa, North Korea, Central African Republic, Somalia, Angola, and South Sudan. These eight areas seem ripe for outbreaks this year and indeed Somalia is having an outbreak.
Overall, worldwide measles cases increased 79% in early 2022, compared with 2021. The top 10 countries for measles cases from November 2021 to April 2022, per the World Health Organization, include Nigeria, India, Soma Ethiopia, Pakistan, DR Congo, Afghanistan, Liberia, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast.
In the United States, we have been lucky so far with only 55 cases since the start of 2021. However, MMR two-dose coverage has dropped since the pandemic’s start. The list of U.S. areas with the lowest overall two-dose MMR coverage as of 2021 were D.C. (78.9%), Houston (93.7%), Idaho (86.5%), Wisconsin (87.2%), Maryland (87.6%), Georgia (88.5%), Kentucky (88.9%), Ohio (89.6%), and Minnesota (89.8%). Only 14 states had rates over the targeted 95% rate needed for community (herd) immunity against measles (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71:561-8).
Two bits of good news are that there seems to be some catch-up occurring in vaccine uptake overall (including MMR) and we now have two MMR suppliers in the United States since GlaxoSmithKline’s MMR was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for persons over 1 year of age. Let’s all redouble our efforts at adding to the catch-up efforts.
Christopher J. Harrison, MD, is professor, University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine, department of medicine, infectious diseases section, Kansas City. He has no financial conflicts of interest.