{"id":2162,"date":"2026-07-17T17:38:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T17:38:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/?p=2162"},"modified":"2026-07-17T17:38:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T17:38:41","slug":"measles-outbreaks-grow-as-vaccination-falls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/american-community-media\/measles-outbreaks-grow-as-vaccination-falls\/","title":{"rendered":"Measles outbreaks grow as vaccination falls"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Rising infections expose the consequences of declining immunization rates, misinformation, and weakening public health protections nationwide.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The United States is experiencing its largest measles resurgence in more than three decades, raising alarms among infectious disease experts who warn that declining vaccination rates, persistent misinformation, and gaps in public health infrastructure are allowing one of the world&#8217;s most contagious viruses to regain ground. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2,170 measles cases had been reported as of July 2, the highest annual total in 35 years, with outbreaks spreading across multiple states and affecting both children and adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During an American Community Media briefing, leading physicians, epidemiologists and vaccine experts emphasized that the current surge is not the result of changes in the virus itself, but of falling immunization coverage. They argued that measles, once eliminated from endemic transmission in the United States in 2000, has found new opportunities to spread as communities fail to maintain the vaccination levels needed for herd immunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Patsy Stinchfield, pediatric nurse practitioner and executive director of the Measles Collaborative, stressed that measles has not become more dangerous over time. Instead, she said, communities have become more vulnerable by allowing vaccination rates to decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The virus hasn&#8217;t changed. Our vaccine coverage has,&#8221; Stinchfield said, explaining that measles requires approximately 95% vaccination coverage to prevent sustained transmission. Once immunization rates fall below that threshold, even by a few percentage points, outbreaks can expand rapidly because a single infected individual may transmit the virus to as many as 18 others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also clarified a common misconception surrounding the country&#8217;s previous success against the disease. While the United States declared measles eliminated in 2000, meaning continuous domestic transmission had been interrupted, the virus was never eradicated globally. As long as measles circulates elsewhere in the world, imported cases remain inevitable, making high vaccination coverage essential to preventing new outbreaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Declining vaccination rates fuel expanding outbreaks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Experts pointed to several regions where declining immunization has created favorable conditions for measles transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Utah, where the state has battled a year-long outbreak, fewer than 84% of children have received both recommended doses of the MMR vaccine. Dr. Andrew Pavia, chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Utah, explained that while statewide vaccination rates appear relatively high, localized communities with significantly lower coverage became the epicenter of sustained transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Pavia, some communities along the Utah-Arizona border recorded vaccination rates as low as 30% to 40%, influenced by religious opposition to vaccines, distrust of government institutions, and broader anti-vaccination sentiment. Once measles entered these communities, it quickly spread throughout the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pavia also warned that official case counts likely underestimate the true scale of the outbreak. Because many infected families never seek laboratory confirmation, researchers developed epidemiological and genomic models suggesting actual infections may be two to four times higher than reported. In Utah alone, an official total of roughly 700 cases could represent between 1,400 and 2,800 infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The growing number of adult cases is another emerging concern. Nearly one-quarter of all measles infections nationwide this year have occurred in adults over 20 years old, many of whom have never encountered the disease during their medical careers or personal lives. Adults, along with children under five, face a greater risk of hospitalization and severe complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pregnant women represent another particularly vulnerable group. Pavia noted that measles infection late in pregnancy can be transmitted to newborns either before or immediately after birth, potentially resulting in life-threatening illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Misinformation continues undermining vaccination efforts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Health experts repeatedly identified misinformation as one of the principal drivers behind declining vaccination rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stinchfield described years of outreach within Minnesota&#8217;s Somali community, where anti-vaccine activists falsely claimed that the MMR vaccine causes autism. Before these campaigns gained traction, vaccination rates among Somali children exceeded 90%. As misinformation spread, many parents delayed vaccination until children reached school age, leaving toddlers unprotected during their most vulnerable years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The resulting decline contributed to repeated outbreaks, including one in 2017 that primarily affected Somali preschoolers and another resurgence in 2024. Stinchfield said rebuilding trust has required close collaboration with Somali healthcare workers, religious leaders, community organizations and parents themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rather than repeatedly debunking myths, she said public health officials increasingly focus on explaining both the real dangers of measles and the extensive scientific evidence supporting vaccine safety. She also emphasized educating families about autism itself, noting that decades of research have found no connection between autism and the MMR vaccine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Benjamin Neuman, professor of biology at Texas A&amp;M University, reinforced that message by explaining that the current MMR vaccine remains highly effective despite being developed decades ago. Unlike influenza or COVID-19, measles mutates slowly, allowing vaccines based on strains isolated in the 1950s to continue providing long-lasting protection against modern variants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He explained that while the virus continues to evolve, the components recognized by the immune system have changed very little over time, making widespread vaccine updates unnecessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Public health challenges extend beyond vaccination<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speakers also warned that controlling outbreaks has become increasingly difficult because of broader pressures on public health systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pavia said reduced public health funding has limited the ability of local agencies to conduct case investigations, contact tracing and community outreach, all of which are critical to containing highly contagious diseases like measles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, healthcare providers face an unusual challenge: many younger physicians have never treated measles because the disease had become so rare in the United States. This lack of firsthand clinical experience can complicate early recognition and diagnosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Jose Romero, former director of the CDC&#8217;s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, also raised concerns about declining public confidence in vaccines and the potential consequences for immigrant and underserved communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He warned that continued erosion of vaccination rates could lead not only to more measles outbreaks but also to the return of diseases that many physicians rarely encounter today, including bacterial meningitis and other vaccine-preventable illnesses. Romero emphasized that misinformation, combined with reduced outreach to vulnerable populations, threatens decades of public health progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The panel also discussed how fear surrounding immigration enforcement may discourage some families from seeking medical care, delaying both diagnosis and vaccination while allowing outbreaks to spread further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite addressing numerous scientific and policy issues, all four experts concluded with the same message: measles remains one of the most preventable infectious diseases, provided communities maintain high vaccination coverage. They urged families to verify their immunization records, ensure children receive both recommended doses of the MMR vaccine, and rely on evidence-based medical guidance rather than misinformation circulating online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Los brotes de sarampi\u00f3n crecen por la ca\u00edda en la vacunaci\u00f3n<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>El aumento de contagios evidencia el impacto de la desinformaci\u00f3n, la baja inmunizaci\u00f3n y el debilitamiento de la salud p\u00fablica.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Estados Unidos enfrenta el mayor resurgimiento del sarampi\u00f3n en m\u00e1s de tres d\u00e9cadas, una situaci\u00f3n que mantiene en alerta a especialistas en enfermedades infecciosas, quienes advierten que la disminuci\u00f3n de las tasas de vacunaci\u00f3n, la desinformaci\u00f3n persistente y las brechas en los sistemas de salud p\u00fablica est\u00e1n permitiendo el regreso de uno de los virus m\u00e1s contagiosos del mundo. De acuerdo con los Centros para el Control y la Prevenci\u00f3n de Enfermedades (CDC), hasta el 2 de julio se hab\u00edan registrado 2.170 casos de sarampi\u00f3n, la cifra anual m\u00e1s alta en 35 a\u00f1os, con brotes activos en varios estados que afectan tanto a ni\u00f1os como a adultos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Durante una conferencia organizada por American Community Media, m\u00e9dicos, epidemi\u00f3logos y expertos en inmunizaci\u00f3n coincidieron en que el actual incremento de casos no responde a cambios en el virus, sino a la disminuci\u00f3n de la cobertura de vacunaci\u00f3n. Seg\u00fan se\u00f1alaron, el sarampi\u00f3n, cuya transmisi\u00f3n end\u00e9mica fue eliminada en Estados Unidos en el a\u00f1o 2000, ha encontrado nuevamente condiciones para propagarse debido a que muchas comunidades ya no alcanzan los niveles de inmunizaci\u00f3n necesarios para mantener la inmunidad colectiva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Patsy Stinchfield, enfermera pedi\u00e1trica especializada y directora ejecutiva de Measles Collaborative, explic\u00f3 que el virus no se ha vuelto m\u00e1s peligroso con el paso del tiempo. Lo que ha cambiado, afirm\u00f3, es la protecci\u00f3n de la poblaci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;El virus no ha cambiado. Lo que ha cambiado es nuestra cobertura de vacunaci\u00f3n&#8221;, se\u00f1al\u00f3 Stinchfield, quien record\u00f3 que el sarampi\u00f3n requiere una cobertura cercana al 95% para impedir su propagaci\u00f3n. Cuando ese porcentaje disminuye, incluso ligeramente, el virus encuentra r\u00e1pidamente personas susceptibles y puede transmitirse a entre 12 y 18 individuos por cada caso confirmado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">La especialista tambi\u00e9n aclar\u00f3 una confusi\u00f3n frecuente. Aunque Estados Unidos declar\u00f3 eliminado el sarampi\u00f3n en el a\u00f1o 2000, ello signific\u00f3 \u00fanicamente que hab\u00eda interrumpido la transmisi\u00f3n continua dentro del pa\u00eds. El virus nunca fue erradicado a nivel mundial y, mientras siga circulando en otros pa\u00edses, los casos importados seguir\u00e1n representando una amenaza constante.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">La disminuci\u00f3n de la vacunaci\u00f3n alimenta nuevos brotes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Los especialistas se\u00f1alaron que varias regiones del pa\u00eds muestran c\u00f3mo la reducci\u00f3n de la cobertura de inmunizaci\u00f3n ha facilitado el resurgimiento de la enfermedad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">En Utah, estado que enfrenta un brote desde hace m\u00e1s de un a\u00f1o, menos del 84% de los ni\u00f1os ha recibido las dos dosis recomendadas de la vacuna triple viral (MMR). Andrew Pavia, jefe de la Divisi\u00f3n de Enfermedades Infecciosas Pedi\u00e1tricas de la Universidad de Utah, explic\u00f3 que, aunque el promedio estatal sigue siendo relativamente alto, existen comunidades donde las tasas de vacunaci\u00f3n descendieron dr\u00e1sticamente y se convirtieron en el punto de partida de la expansi\u00f3n del virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seg\u00fan detall\u00f3, algunas comunidades ubicadas en la frontera entre Utah y Arizona presentan coberturas de apenas entre 30% y 40%, impulsadas por creencias religiosas contrarias a la vacunaci\u00f3n, desconfianza hacia el gobierno y movimientos antivacunas. Una vez que el virus ingres\u00f3 a estas zonas, se propag\u00f3 r\u00e1pidamente hacia el resto del estado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pavia advirti\u00f3 adem\u00e1s que las cifras oficiales probablemente representan solo una parte del problema. Debido a que muchas familias no acuden a realizar pruebas de laboratorio, investigadores desarrollaron modelos epidemiol\u00f3gicos y an\u00e1lisis gen\u00f3micos que estiman que el n\u00famero real de contagios podr\u00eda ser entre dos y cuatro veces mayor al reportado oficialmente. En Utah, por ejemplo, unos 700 casos confirmados podr\u00edan equivaler realmente a entre 1.400 y 2.800 infecciones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Otro aspecto que preocupa a los especialistas es el incremento de casos en adultos. Cerca de una cuarta parte de las infecciones registradas este a\u00f1o corresponde a personas mayores de 20 a\u00f1os, un grupo que, junto con los menores de cinco a\u00f1os, presenta mayor riesgo de hospitalizaci\u00f3n y complicaciones graves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Las mujeres embarazadas constituyen otro grupo especialmente vulnerable. Pavia explic\u00f3 que una infecci\u00f3n por sarampi\u00f3n durante las \u00faltimas semanas del embarazo puede transmitirse al beb\u00e9 antes o inmediatamente despu\u00e9s del parto, con consecuencias potencialmente mortales para el reci\u00e9n nacido.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">La desinformaci\u00f3n sigue debilitando la confianza en las vacunas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Los especialistas coincidieron en que la desinformaci\u00f3n contin\u00faa siendo uno de los principales factores detr\u00e1s de la ca\u00edda en las tasas de vacunaci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stinchfield relat\u00f3 a\u00f1os de trabajo junto a la comunidad somal\u00ed de Minnesota, donde grupos antivacunas difundieron falsamente que la vacuna MMR provoca autismo. Antes de la llegada de estas campa\u00f1as de desinformaci\u00f3n, m\u00e1s del 90% de los ni\u00f1os somal\u00edes recib\u00eda la vacuna. Sin embargo, el temor generado llev\u00f3 a muchas familias a retrasar la inmunizaci\u00f3n hasta la edad escolar, dejando a los ni\u00f1os peque\u00f1os expuestos durante sus primeros a\u00f1os de vida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Esta disminuci\u00f3n favoreci\u00f3 diversos brotes, incluido el registrado en 2017, que afect\u00f3 principalmente a ni\u00f1os en edad preescolar, y otro ocurrido en 2024. La especialista explic\u00f3 que recuperar la confianza ha requerido trabajar junto a profesionales de salud de la propia comunidad, l\u00edderes religiosos, organizaciones locales y familias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">M\u00e1s que repetir constantemente que las vacunas no causan autismo, indic\u00f3, las campa\u00f1as actuales buscan explicar tanto la gravedad del sarampi\u00f3n como la amplia evidencia cient\u00edfica que demuestra la seguridad de la vacuna. Asimismo, destac\u00f3 la importancia de informar correctamente sobre el autismo, recordando que d\u00e9cadas de investigaci\u00f3n no han encontrado ninguna relaci\u00f3n entre esta condici\u00f3n y la vacuna MMR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Benjamin Neuman, profesor de Biolog\u00eda en la Universidad Texas A&amp;M, reforz\u00f3 este mensaje al explicar que la vacuna contra el sarampi\u00f3n sigue siendo altamente eficaz pese a haber sido desarrollada hace varias d\u00e9cadas. A diferencia de virus como la influenza o el COVID-19, el sarampi\u00f3n presenta muy pocas mutaciones en las regiones que reconoce el sistema inmunol\u00f3gico, lo que permite que las vacunas actuales contin\u00faen ofreciendo una protecci\u00f3n duradera frente a las variantes que circulan hoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Los desaf\u00edos van m\u00e1s all\u00e1 de la vacunaci\u00f3n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Los expertos advirtieron que controlar los brotes actuales tambi\u00e9n se ha vuelto m\u00e1s complejo debido a las limitaciones que enfrentan los sistemas de salud p\u00fablica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pavia explic\u00f3 que la reducci\u00f3n del financiamiento para salud p\u00fablica ha dificultado tareas esenciales como la identificaci\u00f3n de casos, el rastreo de contactos y el aislamiento oportuno de personas expuestas, medidas indispensables para contener un virus tan contagioso como el sarampi\u00f3n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A ello se suma otro desaf\u00edo: gran parte de los m\u00e9dicos j\u00f3venes nunca ha visto un caso de sarampi\u00f3n durante su formaci\u00f3n profesional, precisamente porque la enfermedad permaneci\u00f3 controlada durante d\u00e9cadas. Esta falta de experiencia cl\u00ednica puede retrasar el diagn\u00f3stico oportuno en algunos pacientes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Por su parte, Jos\u00e9 Romero, exdirector del Centro Nacional de Inmunizaci\u00f3n y Enfermedades Respiratorias de los CDC, alert\u00f3 sobre las consecuencias que podr\u00eda tener la p\u00e9rdida de confianza en las vacunas para las comunidades inmigrantes y otros grupos vulnerables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seg\u00fan explic\u00f3, si la cobertura de vacunaci\u00f3n contin\u00faa disminuyendo, Estados Unidos podr\u00eda enfrentar el regreso no solo del sarampi\u00f3n, sino tambi\u00e9n de otras enfermedades prevenibles que muchos m\u00e9dicos pr\u00e1cticamente han dejado de ver, como algunos tipos de meningitis bacteriana. Romero sostuvo que la desinformaci\u00f3n, sumada a las dificultades para llegar a poblaciones vulnerables, amenaza con revertir d\u00e9cadas de avances en salud p\u00fablica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Los especialistas tambi\u00e9n se\u00f1alaron que el temor de algunas familias inmigrantes a acudir a centros de salud, debido a las pol\u00edticas migratorias, podr\u00eda retrasar tanto la atenci\u00f3n m\u00e9dica como la vacunaci\u00f3n infantil, facilitando a\u00fan m\u00e1s la propagaci\u00f3n de la enfermedad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pese a las diferencias de enfoque entre los panelistas, todos coincidieron en un mensaje final: el sarampi\u00f3n sigue siendo una de las enfermedades infecciosas m\u00e1s prevenibles si se mantienen altas tasas de vacunaci\u00f3n. Los expertos instaron a las familias a revisar sus registros de inmunizaci\u00f3n, asegurarse de que ni\u00f1os y adultos cuenten con las dosis recomendadas de la vacuna MMR y confiar en la evidencia cient\u00edfica antes que en la informaci\u00f3n falsa que circula en redes sociales.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Measles<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[686],"tags":[3384,993,4532],"class_list":["post-2162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-community-media","tag-acm","tag-measles","tag-vaccination"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2162"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2164,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2162\/revisions\/2164"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}