Resurgence of measles in the United States: how did we get here?

Abstract

In September 2019, the United States was at risk of losing measles elimination status due to several large-scale outbreaks resulting in more than 1200 confirmed cases across 31 states. This resurgence caps approximately 10 years of increasing incidence, marked by a highly publicized outbreak in 2015 associated with Disneyland when an infected traveler from the Philippines unknowingly spread the virus to susceptible park visitors and the recently ended large outbreak in undervaccinated Orthodox Jewish communities in New York City and Rockland counties. This review highlights current literature elucidating factors associated with current trends in measles epidemiology in the United States, the public health implications of current measles outbreaks and a path forward for addressing challenges contributing to the resurgence of measles in the United States and globally. As the most highly transmissible vaccine preventable disease, measles is especially sensitive to changes in herd immunity, the impact of vaccine refusal and globalization. Results highlight the confluence of these factors in current outbreaks, provide tools to predict outbreak risk, demonstrate the growing impact of misinformation and evaluate the impact of policy approaches for outbreak control and prevention.