In the US, measles outbreaks have become a serious public health concern.
To date, the total number of measles cases in the US has surpassed 3,800, the highest since 1991.
Of all the states, Pennsylvania has been hit the hardest, with more than 1,000 cases reported to date.
ABC News reports underscore that the vast majority of cases in this outbreak occurred in unvaccinated individuals.
Among the five patients who have died of measles, two were unvaccinated adults, two were infants too young to be vaccinated, and one was an unvaccinated person of unknown age.
Furthermore, fewer than one percent of measles cases in Pennsylvania have occurred in vaccinated people.
News reports have raised concerns that measles vaccination coverage among kindergartners has declined from 95.2% in the 2019–2020 school year to 92.4% in the 2025–2026 school year.
In Japan, measles cases have also been increasing, especially this year.
According to the Japan Institute for Health Security, 576 measles cases have been reported so far this year, the highest number since 2019.
Measles is a serious concern here in Japan as well.
