The current resurgence of measles in the U.S. was bound to happen, according to an expert from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and it is likely to get worse before it gets better.
"We've been seeing increasing numbers of cases — last year the numbers nationally were the highest since the early 1990s — and it directly relates to parents who choose not to immunize their children with the safe and highly effective measles vaccine," David Kimberlin, MD, a UAB professor of pediatrics and president of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, told UAB News.
Community protection against the infectious disease is weakened when there is a large unvaccinated population, and when people come to those communities from other parts of the world where measles is common, the disease is likely to spread. "Once measles has gained such a foothold, it spreads extremely easily, and so I anticipate that, unfortunately, we will be seeing a whole lot more cases."
See which states have the lowest percentage of children who are protected by the vaccine here.
Dr. Kimberlin said he believes the current outbreak in the U.S. stems from misconceptions about the vaccine.