Measles is an infection caused by the Measles morbillivirus virus that is known for being highly contagious. Like many diseases that have plagued humanity throughout the years, only recently was a vaccine for measles created and spread throughout the world. Fortunately, the measles vaccine did great work in terms of protecting the global population from developing cases of measles, which is characterized by inflamed eyes, rash, fever, and cough.
The United States was home to about 775,000 reported cases of measles in 1958, the largest recorded outbreak in American histories, after which the total reported cases of measles infections began to drop. After the measles vaccine was developed and spread throughout the U.S. and the rest of the world in 1963, the incidence of measles really started to drop.
Since then, thanks to the fact that the measles vaccine is relatively easy and cheap to produce, countries around the world have experienced similar levels of success in terms of reducing the incidence of measles infections.
Due to the sustained benefits that society has reaped as a result of widespread vaccination, a school of thought, of which the adherents are known as anti-vaxxers, has spread the world over, though particularly in areas of the world that are the most educated and developed, such as France and the United States. In short, as their name implies, anti-vaxxers believe in not vaccinating themselves and their children.
This has caused a resurgence in the highly-infectious disease the world over, as well as the United States. Before 2019, the last time that the number of reported measles cases even got close to 1,000 in the United States was in 1994. This year, however, there have been more than 1,250 cases reported in the United States.
Other countries have experienced similar problems, also reporting resurgences of measles within their boundaries the world over.
Samoa, an island in the Pacific Ocean, is also facing a measles outbreak. In fact, the entire government of Samoa will be closing its doors to the public due to its ongoing measles outbreak, which has since affected a total of 3,728 people, claiming the lives of 53 since the outbreak was officially called on Oct. 16, less than two months ago. Most of the outbreak’s deaths have been in children ages four and under.
