All posts tagged: Measles

‘It’s a powder keg’: Romania leads EU measles cases as vaccination rates collapse | Romania

‘It’s a powder keg’: Romania leads EU measles cases as vaccination rates collapse | Romania

Published by Sam Flores

By 10am on a spring day, the corridor of the clinic in the Transylvanian town of Săcele was already crowded with parents and children. They were all waiting to see Dr Mirela Csabai, one of just seven general practitioners serving a population of more than 30,000. Most of the cases that morning were routine: colds, checkups, chronic conditions. The calm, however, is recent. In 2024, a measles epidemic tore through this community and left one unvaccinated toddler dead. “As long as vaccination rates remain low, it’s a powder keg,” says Csabai. “Once an epidemic starts, it is already too late to vaccinate. We need to act now.” Romania is facing the worst measles crisis in the EU. The country has had four epidemics of the illness since 2005, each separated by only a few years of fragile calm. Dr Mirela Csabai: ‘Once an epidemic starts, it is already too late to vaccinate.’ Photograph: Guy Peterson/The Guardian Between 2023 and 2025, it recorded more than 35,000 cases and at least 30 deaths, most of them infants …

DOGE Made Drastic Cuts to a Global Vaccine Assistance Program. Now There’s a Deadly Measles Outbreak in Bangladesh

DOGE Made Drastic Cuts to a Global Vaccine Assistance Program. Now There’s a Deadly Measles Outbreak in Bangladesh

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech Even after prolonged chaos, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency didn’t end up saving taxpayers much money. It did, however, manage to devastate global health infrastructure on its way out. For evidence, look no further than Bangladesh, currently in the grips of one of the worst measles outbreaks in recent memory. According to the Guardian, over 100 children have died as a result of gaps in vaccination coverage, with more than 900 confirmed measles cases reported since the viral flare-up began in March. Two thirds of those impacted are over nine months old, the outlet reported, the age at which infants typically become eligible for measles inoculation. The United Nations has helped the Bangladeshi government kickstart an emergency vaccination drive, but for many families, the damage has already been done. At the heart of the public health failure lies a shortage of vaccine stockpiles. That shortage traces back, at least in part, to the wave of DOGE-driven spending …

Babies are ‘sitting ducks’ as US measles outbreak spreads to more states

Babies are ‘sitting ducks’ as US measles outbreak spreads to more states

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore With baby Arthur too young for the measles vaccine and a sibling due in June, the Otwells grew nervous when the threat of the highly contagious virus started affecting their grocery run. “We go to the Costco that was kind of a hotbed,” said John Otwell after his state health department’s warnings of public exposures at the store. “A lot of people just don’t get it; they think it’s just a cold. It’s not.” By Arthur’s 9-month checkup, the South Carolina outbreak had exploded into the nation’s worst in more than 35 years, surpassing last year’s in Texas. That meant that under state guidance, Arthur could get his first dose of the MMR vaccine — for measles, mumps and rubella — earlier than the usual 12 to 15 months old. By Arthur’s 9-month checkup, the South Carolina outbreak had exploded into …

“People are choosing this fate”: Measles will get worse before it gets better

“People are choosing this fate”: Measles will get worse before it gets better

Published by Sam Flores

Measles has made a major comeback in the U.S. and the pace of infections does not seem to be slowing any time soon. Already, the country is on track to surpass last year’s number of measles infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated data indicating that the U.S. total has reached more than 1,600 measles infections as of April 3, 2026. Last year, the CDC confirmed 2,286 measles cases for all of 2025, the highest number of cases since 1991, but we’re already on track to beat that record. What’s more, the Trump administration has pushed a key review of the country’s measles-free status until after the midterm elections. According to the CDC report, 17 new outbreaks were reported in 2026. Notably, 94 percent of confirmed cases are “outbreak-associated,” with a majority of cases stemming from outbreaks that started in 2025. An estimated 5 percent of cases have required hospital care already this year; in 2025, 11 percent required hospital care. No deaths have yet been attributed to measles in 2026, but …

Bangladesh says suspected measles outbreak kills about 100 children

Bangladesh says suspected measles outbreak kills about 100 children

Published by Sam Flores

Bangladesh has made significant advancements in vaccinations to tackle infectious diseases, but a measles drive due in June 2024 was delayed by a deadly uprising that same year that toppled the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina. Most Bangladeshi children receive a vaccine at nine months, although many infected in the recent outbreak had been six months old, officials added. Mahmudur Rahman, chief of the National Verification Committee of Measles and Rubella, said that “we committed to reducing the number to zero by December 2025 but failed to achieve the target due to poor vaccination programmes”. Dhaka has identified 30 of the most affected areas in the region and has started a vaccination programme. Health Minister Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bakul said the vaccination drive will cover the “worst affected areas” before being expanded to other regions. Tajul Islam A Bari, a former official at the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) and a public health expert, told AFP that although funds had been allocated for vaccine purchases, authorities had failed to procure them. “Now we see the …

Tracking the 2026 U.S. Measles Outbreaks | Health News

Tracking the 2026 U.S. Measles Outbreaks | Health News

Published by Sam Flores

Measles infections in the U.S. this year are on pace to easily eclipse 2025, when the country reported the most annual cases in over three decades. U.S. News is tracking the outbreak, which includes about 1,670 cases and 17 new outbreaks. Over 40 jurisdictions have reported measles infections to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this year. They are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The outbreak in South Carolina is responsible for the vast majority of this year’s total with more than 600 cases. An outbreak in Utah that started last summer is also ongoing, with 378 infections reported so far this year. The various outbreaks put the country at risk of losing its measles elimination status this year. Measles has been considered …

Is Mexico’s massive measles vaccine campaign a success? : NPR

Is Mexico’s massive measles vaccine campaign a success? : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Medical personnel in Mexico City administer measles vaccines at a mass vaccination event on February 11. Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto/via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto/via Getty Images In Mexico, a sweeping measles outbreak has triggered a sweeping response — a campaign to vaccinate 2.5 million people a week. In the capital, posters are plastered with QR codes for people to look up the nearest spot for vaccination. Nurses go door-to-door, and there are pop-up vaccine stations in bakeries, bus stations, cinemas, shopping malls, roundabouts —- you name it. WhatsApp groups are pinged with waiting times at various centers. “People were very worried,” says Erica Briones Chavez, a nurse in a public medical center in Mexico City’s Chapultepec neighborhood. “For a couple of months we were doing two to three hundred vaccinations a day — mothers, fathers, teenagers and babies. Even the grandparents wanted to get vaccinated.” People were queueing up for two hours. Some infectious disease experts have lauded the effort. But there are critics. Sergio Meneses Navarro, a researcher at Mexico’s National Institute …