Measles misinformation spreads as cases rise across US

As of April 17, a total of 800 confirmed measles cases had been reported by 25 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most cases are centred in West Texas, where the outbreak has already claimed the lives of two unvaccinated and otherwise healthy school-aged children. Meanwhile, an unvaccinated adult has died in New Mexico, reports Xinhua, quoting KFF Health News survey.

"The most alarming thing about the survey is that we're seeing an uptick in the share of people who have heard these claims," said Ashley Kirzinger, associate director of KFF's Public Opinion and Survey Research Programme.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has shown limited urgency in addressing the outbreak. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr called measles outbreaks "not unusual" while failing to emphasise vaccination in his public statements.

The survey also revealed stark partisan divides in awareness and beliefs about measles. About two-thirds of Republican-leaning parents were unaware of the current increase in measles cases, while two-thirds of Democratic-leaning parents were informed about the situation.

Among parents who believed at least one false claim, one in four reported skipping or delaying recommended vaccines for their children, more than double the rate of parents who rejected all the false claims.

Public health experts warned that this uncertainty created dangerous vulnerability to misinformation, especially as vaccine scepticism continued rising following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite measles being declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, declining vaccination rates have allowed the disease to make a concerning comeback, potentially threatening the country's elimination status.

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It can cause severe disease, complications, and even death.

Measles infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body.

An estimated 107,500 people died from measles in 2023 -- mostly children under the age of five years -- despite the availability of a safe and cost-effective vaccine.