Back in the USA.
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| Source: The Lancet |
This one will be brief. An effective vaccine against measles has been available for the past 40 years, however, measles has returned in North America and Europe. The subject is neatly reported in the Lancet.
From January 1 to May 20, 118 cases were reported in the USA. 46% of the cases were imported, most from European Countries.Ideally, two doses of MMR vaccine given to 95% of children are required to halt the spread of the virus. By 2009 only 60% of countries worldwide had achieved 90% coverage with at least one vaccine dose. Difficulty accessing services, religious beliefs, and vaccine scepticism are part of the reasons for low coverage. Better organisation of vaccination systems is suggested by the authors.
In a wealthy countries, such as in the United States and Western Europe, I have to wonder what impact the anti-vaccine movement may have had on the reappearance of measles.
