How Measles Made a Comeback After Elimination in U.S.

Thanks to the introduction of a vaccine in 1963, measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. Yet the number of cases of the highly contagious disease this year has surpassed 700, spread across 22 states and focused in New York. The outbreak has prompted authorities to quarantine university students, fine parents for not immunizing their children and bar unvaccinated minors from public places.

Measles cases are increasing globally, resulting in 110,000 deaths in 2017, up from less than 90,000 a year earlier, according to the World Health Organization. Health authorities link the U.S. outbreaks to travelers who brought measles back from other countries, including Israel, Ukraine and the Philippines. This phenomenon has become more common as the number of Americans who are unvaccinated against childhood illnesses has increased because of persistent and incorrect beliefs that immunizations are more dangerous than beneficial. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 82 people brought measles to the U.S. from abroad in 2018.