Last year, there were 10.3 million cases of measles globally — an increase of 20% from the previous year, according to a newly released report from the World Health Organization.
Nearly 107,500 people died from measles worldwide in 2023 and children under the age of 5 were hit the hardest, the report found.
Measles is a highly infectious virus often characterized by a distinctive red, spotty rash that starts on the face and spreads downward, often merging into larger patches.
Both children and adults may develop potentially deadly complications, including pneumonia, which is a serious lung infection, or encephalitis, which is swelling in the brain. It can also lead to deafness, long-term intellectual disability and complications during pregnancy.
In the United States, there have been 277 measles cases reported across 30 states and the District of Columbia in 2024, more than four times the number of cases last year when there were 59 cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, there were 16 outbreaks in 2024 compared to just four in 2023.
Source-ABC
