Decoding the measles outbreak in the U.S. and its larger implications
Dr Rajib Dasgupta explains what is behind the increasing number of measles cases in the United States, why vaccination rates have dropped, what the scenario in India is, and if vaccine hesitancy is becoming a public health challenge.
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Show Notes
Earlier this week, the United States recorded its first death due to measles after over 10 years. Why is this significant? The US had declared the eradication of measles, a highly infectious viral disease, from its country in the year 2000. Over 150 people, mostly children, are currently ill in Texas, and the outbreak has now spread to other States, as per US news reports. In Texas, all but 5 cases were in people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown. The country’s Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has a history of debunking vaccines, has now said that vaccines protect individual children and the community as a whole.
Why is one of the most vaccine-preventable diseases surging in a developed country? Is vaccine misinformation becoming a serious public health crisis? What is the situation in India like?
Guest: Dr. Rajib Dasgupta, professor of community health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Host: Zubeda Hamid
Edited by Jude Francis Weston
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