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Measles cases rose 79% globally last year, WHO says. Experts explain why.
The World Health Organization is warning about the rapid spread of measles around the world, noting a 79% increase from 2022, with more than 306,000 cases reported last year.
In a news conference Tuesday, the U.N. health agency said it did not yet have an overview of measles deaths last year but expects increases in fatalities from the disease.
“In 2022, the number of deaths increased by 43%, according to our models, to more than 130,000 deaths occurring from measles,” WHO technical adviser Natasha Crowcroft said.
Given the growing case numbers, “we would anticipate an increase in deaths in 2023 as well,” Crowcroft added.
The WHO announcement comes as a concerning rise in measles cases at a Florida school district is putting people there on high alert.
On Friday, Broward County Public Schools announced that there was one confirmed case reported at Manatee Bay Elementary School. The next day, BCPS announced that three additional cases were reported overnight, bringing the total to four.
Health experts say these cases could just be the beginning. While measles — a highly contagious and potentially deadly virus that causes a tell-tale rash — was officially declared eradicated in the U.S. more than 20 years ago, new outbreaks of the disease are popping up. Declining vaccination rates are jeopardizing herd immunity and increasing the risk of outbreaks.
“The way this viral illness spreads, we foresee that the number of unvaccinated children, the immune-compromised, we will start to see an increase in those numbers definitely,” Dr. Pallavi Aneja, the program director of Internal Medicine Residency at HCA FL Northwest and Westside Hospitals, told CBS News Miami.
Data across the country also shows parents have reason to be concerned.
Examining data from tens of thousands of public and private schools in 19 states and communities that make the information available to parents and the public, a CBS News investigation last month identified at least 8,500 schools where measles vaccination rates among kindergartners are below the 95% threshold that the CDC identifies as crucial for protecting a community from measles.
The drop in school-age vaccination rates is alarming scientists and doctors across the country. In January, a cluster of measles cases were identified in Philadelphia, and 82 children in Ohio contracted measles in 2022.
“I think it’s concerning to me as a human being,” Matt Ferrari, Penn State University biologist and infectious disease researcher, previously told CBS News. “It also has a population-level consequence. The more individuals that are around who are unvaccinated, the more potential there is for disease to spread and to establish transmission that will give rise to outbreaks that will stick around for a long time.”
Looking ahead, 2024 is going to be “very challenging,” the WHO’s Crowcroft added.
“One of the ways we predict what’s going to happen in terms of outbreaks and cases is looking at the distribution of unimmunized children,” she said. “We can see from data that’s produced with WHO data by the U.S. CDC that more than half of all the countries in the world will be at high or very high risk of outbreaks by the end of this year.”
–Stephen Stock, Aparna Zalani, Chris Hacker, Jose Sanchez and staff from CBS Miami and CBS Philadelphia contributed to this report.
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Target cuts prices on more than 2,000 products, from food to cold medicine
Target is cutting prices on more than 2,000 products for the holiday shopping season. The move marks the continuation a recent trend among retail and fast-food chains looking to entice budget-conscious consumers with value meals and discounted items.
Minneapolis-based Target on Tuesday said it would reduce the cost of Target-owned and national brands, including food and beverages, everyday basics like cough medicine, toys and other holiday gifts.
The announcement comes after Target in May cut prices on about 5,000 of its products, bringing the total to more than 8,000 items discounted so far this year. By the end of the holiday season, the company said it will have lowered prices on more than 10,000 items during the year.
In markets across the country from Phoenix to Atlanta, most of Target’s nearly 2,000 stores, its website Target.com and its app are featuring the following lower prices, according to the retailer:
Target touted its reductions just days after Aldi unveiled its lowest-price Thanksgiving spread in five years, besting an offer by its bigger rival, Walmart, by about two bucks. The discount retailers echo the messaging of fast-food chains offering $5 value meals.
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