Dr. David Higgins: When Measles Vaccination Rates Fall, It’s Not a Matter of If an Outbreak Will Occur, It’s a Matter of When

EXCERPT:

HIGGINS: "So, here in America, because of vaccines, we don‘t see measles very often. Vaccines are a victim of their own success. But measles is among the most contagious viruses on earth, far more contagious than Covid-19 or influenza. And it is also one of the most preventable. So, for over 60 years, we‘ve had safe, highly-effective vaccines, and these work at preventing measles in our communities. But when vaccination rates fall, it‘s not a matter of if an outbreak will occur, it‘s a matter of when. And measles is only a plane flight away. Every imported measles case that comes into the U.S. enters a patchwork of communities where vaccination rates are falling, and every single imported case is another spark that can launch a measles outbreak."