‘Staggering’ Measles Infections, Deaths Rise Amid Declining Vaccination Rates, Says CDC and WHO

Measles is so contagious that if one person gets infected, up to 9 out of 10 people around them will also eventually get it.

A nurse prepares the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine in Rockland County, N.Y., on April 5, 2019. Johannes Eisele /AFP/Getty Images

Cases of measles infections and deaths worldwide rose by double digits in 2022 after vaccination rates declined amid the pandemic, with one U.S. health official characterizing the surge as “staggering.”

Global measles cases rose by 18 percent in 2022 from a year ago, with deaths surging by 43 percent, according to a Nov. 17 report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The report attributes this increase to millions of children missing measles vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic.