AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest HIV/AIDS organization, is calling on public health officials to provide more education and prevention services around vaccinations as a new measles outbreak spreads through 17 U.S. states.
As of April 11, 2024, 121 measles cases were reported by Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, New York State, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. Eighty-two percent of these cases were in people who are not vaccinated.
The largest burden of cases is in Chicago, IL (Cook County), where there are more than 50 cases. In 2023, Chicago had five total cases of measles – the first cases in the state since 2019. Fifty-six percent of measles cases this year have led to hospitalization.
“Sixty-five percent of people diagnosed with measles are under the age of five, and this is a fully preventable virus,” said Dr. Michael Dube, National Medical Director for AHF Public Health Division.
“We need a robust public education campaign to counter the rampant and dangerous anti-vaccination propaganda that accelerated dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued, expanding to the point that we now are seeing another new extensive outbreak of measles. Vaccinations save lives.”