Over the last few weeks, many reports have suggested that there are measles outbreaks occurring at airports throughout the US. While outbreaks can be alarming, these have been mostly paranoia rather than fact.
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Latest Outbreaks
I had ignored headlines for weeks until one for my home airport came across my news feed just after landing in Pittsburgh. Another from Newark on the same day (perhaps this was the inbound before connecting to Pittsburgh) was reported. One more case at LAX in close proximity to the others outlines the dates and times of potential exposure, the third exposure at LAX in recent months.
At least one flight attendant has fallen seriously ill in connection with these listed outbreaks. She had been in a coma for ten days and doctors are still hoping for a full recovery, but some damage may be long term. Contracting the disease is serious, dangerous, and has affected the travel community.
Travelers From Overseas
In both the Pittsburgh and Newark incidents, affected parties were foreign visitors to the United States and likely brought the disease with them. Forecasted foreign visitors to the US this year is estimated to approach 81 million, an average of more than 220,000 every single day.
While some may consider this to be a part of the recent US movement of “anti-vaxxers” (those who choose not to vaccinate themselves or their children out of concern for the ingredients of the vaccine or potential side effects), the recent case cited above have come from outside the country. However, those who do not have the vaccine anywhere are at risk for contracting Measles if they were exposed in these locations. Unvaccinated parties that come into contact with the disease have a 90% chance of infection.
Incidents Are Isolated and Statistically Nominal
While this year is on pace to be the highest year of Measles infections in recent history, its reach remains isolated. Even at 557 cases for the year, it’s still far from the mass panic that “Airport Measles Outbreak” posts have created earning column space and Facebook group lore across the country. In fact, according to the CDC, the last death reported death prior to 2019 (a single case) was in 2015 – another single death.
As you can see, cases have been relatively limited but do fluctuate from year-to-year with spike years in 2014 and this year.
Vaccination Reduces Risk
Despite the fact that most Americans are vaccinated, some by choice have chosen not to vaccinate themselves or their children. Some come from countries where this is not as widely an assumed practice. The vaccine for Measles, MMR, is 88-97% effective depending on the quantity and timing of dosage and whether it’s treating Measles, Mumps or Rubella.
“Measles is so contagious that 90% of unvaccinated people who come in contact with an infected person will get the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The measles two-dose vaccine is 97% effective against the virus, according to the CDC.”
Additionally, if one contracts the disease, survival rates are very high, especially in the United States. This is not an epidemic.
Conclusion
Regardless of the question of vaccination, a hotly debated issue in the US as of late, the Airport Measles Outbreak outrage is little more than paranoia. Cases are elevated but not catastrophically above spikes in previous cycles. Reported cases have mostly been treated successfully, and deaths related to the disease in the US remain extremely rare.
What do you think? Is the media responding out of proportion to Measles cases by people that have transited airports? Rather, is it so serious that the response is justified? Should coverage be somewhere in between?
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Kyle: stick to travel advice. Leave infectious disease advice to experts.
Was something I said factually incorrect?
Please don’t minimize the gravity of this incredibly high infectious nature of measles and it’s serious consequences. Problem with measles is that it can leave permanent neurologic sequela as hearing loss, brain damage among other things even if you recover from initial infection. Some of the complications may show up decades later. It should not be taken likely. You really cannot be paranoid enough about this disease.
AC, MD:
I stated all of those things and was solely stating that the mass hysteria of articles makes it seem like there are outbreaks from coast to coast. There aren’t, at least, according to the CDC.
The whack-job, nut-case anti-vaccination crowd should be thrown in prison. Being unbelievably dumb is insufficient excuse for their disgraceful, dangerous , disingenuous campaign. 10 years in the slammer for the ringleaders might see a few of the hangers-on have a change of heart.
That said, flu is almost certainly a bigger risk.
Anyone that doesn’t vaccinate themselves or their kids for Measles is an idiot putting other people at risk.
This isn’t an issue if you are vaccinated, but the problem is that there are a lot of people out there with immunosuppressive disorders/babies who can’t receive vaccinations and rely on herd immunity to stay safe.
Also, the El Al situation could very well be related to the current measles outbreak in the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn/Queens (which has notoriously low vaccination rates to the point where NYC recently ordered vaccinations for those in the neighborhoods).
The point is, unless there are legitimate medical reasons not to, get vaccinated. It helps keep you and the people around you safe and will prevent a disease that was, until recently, all but eradicated in first world countries from coming back.
Would you mind sharing with us your medical qualifications that qualify you to be a voice worth listening on this issue?
I don’t have to be a medical professional to report on the media’s use of headline space. I relied on the CDC’s statistics to form my piece both to the detriment and benefit of either side of the vaccination question. One can’t ignore that this year is on pace to double the worst year in recent history. But one also can’t ignore that the statistics are still insignificant with respect to both the size of the population and amount of foreign visitors, nor are they out of line for trends over a multi-year history.
With all due respect, Kyle, the implication that measles as it relates to air travel is no big deal is naive, for reasons you don’t address – the thousands of people who either a) travel with infants who aren’t old enough for vaccinations yet, and b) those with medical conditions of some kind that prevent vaccinations, and thus depend on herd immunity as Chasgoose mentions. Measles is deadly serious for any of the above. Yes, they probably will survive, but potentially with life-long complications, and given the cost of medical care for life-threatening illnesses like measles, facing financial ruin due to uncovered medical bills.
So do I think we should all just hole up in our bunkers and not travel at all because of the risk of illness? Of course not, but it is a risk that everyone should consider. Flippantly dismissing it as paranoia doesn’t do anyone any favors.
MeanMeosh –
It’s been awhile, welcome back. You are correct that the youngest among us are the most vulnerable and do not qualify for vaccination – my own daughter was traveling at risk during this period.
However, the US is unable to force those without vaccinations from entering (even if they state they have them) from other countries.
I also outlined the serious state of contracting measles in the second paragraph of the piece, but that doesn’t change the second to last paragraph either. For some, it could be fatal, but of 330 million Americans and 81 million visitors, there has been just a single death in the last three years, and this year that is just one in 412 million potentials.
Ummm…I’ve commented on three of your pieces over the last 20 days? I haven’t gone anywhere. 🙂
While I don’t disagree with the statistic you cite, my point here is that fatalities isn’t the right one to focus on when it comes to an illness like measles, where the effects can be debilitating and life long. Do the media sensationalize? Of course, but that doesn’t mean these risks should be diminished out of hand (even though I personally agree the numbers are small enough to not warrant worrying about).
Something about this post really bothers me… Measles outbreaks should be taken seriously, and the massive spikes in recent years linked to the wildly ignorant anti-vaxxer “movement” do pose serious health risks especially to all those people who have suppressed immune systems or otherwise can’t get vaccinated. This article reads like it’s downplaying these risks and that it’s the pro-vaccination camp that is being hysterical and unreasonable and not the anti-vaxxers. If you’re otherwise vaccinated and healthy, the risks will be much less but I know several people (transplant recipient, cancer patient etc) who would be vulnerable while traveling due to these outbreaks. Also, the vaccination itself isn’t 100% foolproof. There are vaccinated individuals who have been hospitalized due to being exposed. It’s easy to say “oh no one has died in the US so it’s OK”… but being hospitalized and the complications that can arise can seriously affect ones life.
I outline the potentially serious nature of the disease throughout the piece. I object, however, to the suggestion that there is some sort of pandemic. Why not mention the other interactions the Measles infected persons had? Did they go to restaurants? Hop in cabs? Only the airports are mentioned and that is what causes me to pause.
While there may not be anything factually incorrect in this piece, the overall tone and takeaway of it is misinformed and misleading, in my opinion. Whether you intended to or not, the core message seems to be that the media is ginning up panic and paranoia and that the measles outbreaks in recent history are normal and nothing to worry about. The potential for this piece to be misread is huge and this unfortunately plays strongly into the “anti-vaxxer” line of reasoning to justify not getting vaccinated. I genuinely don’t think that was your intention, but I’m just telling you how the piece reads.
If you really intended this to be a constructive media criticism piece, then it would have been helped by actually citing some data or cases of where and how you think the media is overblowing the situation. As it stands, the piece doesn’t actually make that case because it doesn’t cite any offending examples. You do not improve my sense that you’ve set up the “media” as a straw man when you make sweeping statement like “only the airports are mentioned and that is what causes me to pause.” I live in the NY area and I can assure you that multiple locations, not just airports, are mentioned in news reports about measles outbreaks. The City and a nearby county have shut schools and imposed mandatory vaccinations all of which have received huge amounts of media coverage.
One final note on how you read the statistics. You cite that the 2019 infections numbers falls within recent “multi-year” history to justify that it is within normal parameters. But the chart that you shows indicates that there has been only one spike in almost 20 years that comes close (2014) and we are less than halfway through the year. That data makes me much MORE concerned, not less. This is a bad reading of the data, in my opinion. We should be taking this data to show how easily conquered diseases can return without sufficiently high vaccination rates, not draw the opposite conclusion.
It’s being treated with great alarm because measles had all but been non-existent in the US since the late 70s. The fact that these outbreaks exist should be cause for alarm that we have allowed too many people to opt out of vaccinations and thus there are pockets of communities without herd immunity anymore. The reason air travel gets a lot of attention is it’s one of the most common vectors of infection given the large numbers of people from around the world involved. If you are vaccinated there’s nothing to worry about, but if I were immunosuppressed/allergic to certain ingredients in vaccines or traveling with an infant (aka the groups of people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and thus have to rely on herd immunity) this news would be cause for alarm and certainly make me think twice before traveling or being around large groups of people.
Measles is not a joke. It’s shockingly infective and can kill. Even if it doesn’t kill, many survivors have severe long-term medical consequences as a result of contracting measles.
The problem is that your analysis here is shallow. You’re correct that outbreaks periodically occur at airports. The issue is that an increasing number of ignorant and selfish individuals have chosen not to vaccinate their children (especially in California and New Jersey), increasing the likelihood that such an isolated outbreak could spread more broadly.
As others have said, stick to frequent flyer stuff and leave the epidemiology posts to people who know something about the subject.
Ignorant, unsophisticated social media/blog posts contribute to the misinformation, some of which is actively fomented by foreign governments seeking to do harm to the US.
It’s exactly this blasé attitude that leads people to lend credence to the deadly anti vaccine movement. I suggest you delete this post. As a physician with a masters in public health I feel I like I can say with authority that you hane no idea you’re talking about. Stick to your core competency of travel blogging.
Are you sure I hane no idea what I’m talking about? I am talking about the media suggesting there are “outbreaks” at airports. Is that what you’re addressing too?
Yes, you “hane” no idea what you’re talking about. Your sophomoric attempt at humor by repeating a typo only reinforces that. You clearly make inferences about the severity of measles. You make assumptions about what is deemed “outbreak”. You ignore facts about the transmission of measles. This blog was already going downhill. Time to ignore it completely.
To quote the movie, Stripes, “Relax, Frances.” Then again, I guess that’s probably more sophomoric humor only lending credence to you assertions.
While I cite the statistics in the post both agreeing that cases are on pace for nearly double this year, it’s still limited to just 0.0000032% of all people in the US that contract the disease and still fewer than that with lasting, significant damage. That’s undoubtedly down to vaccination. But if I told you a disease infected less than 0.0000016% more people this year than last year – would you not say that it’s statistically insignificant?
Further, to specifically suggest that because this person was in an airport that there are airport outbreaks is far less responsible journalism than this blog would ever sink to.
I don’t think it’s paranoia, though it is true that the risk is not huge currently. Measles is no longer endemic in the USA (due to vaccines!!) The risk is that it could again become endemic or at least cause widespread damage to local communities with low vaccination rates (Orthodox Jews, Somali immigrants, a variety of granola all natural types – both liberals and libertarians).
As a doctor myself, I cannot fathom why people choose not to vaccinate themselves and their children. About 1:1,000 people who contract Measles will die of it. The rate of death related to vaccine complications is several orders of magnitude less than that. It is not even remotely a close call. Anyway, it’s clearly not a data driven decision when people decide this. Science has spoken on this issue, but some people chose to willfully ignore that for emotional reasons.
So, about travelers. The thing about Measles is that it is incredibly contagious. You can get it from walking into a room that a patient with Measles cough in two hours earlier. In the right setting (a community with low vaccination rates). Once a comminity’s protection rate drops below 95%, you start to lose herd immunity and it can make a whole lot of people sick very quickly. You can imagine this could easily start to overwhelm hospitals/ICUs when there are a large number of sick patients.
I am hopeful that public health and public opinion is going to quash this anti-vaxx movement to very small numbers eventually. Some states have been more aggressive than others on stamping out dangerous vaccine practices (such as allowing exemptions for non-medical purposes). California and West Virginia are examples that are in alignment on this. It is not a partisan issue – all humans can get sick from Measles.
I have unfortunately treated kids whose parents chose not to vaccinate (wealthy family, good access to care). Its genuinely heartbreaking to watch a child suffer due to parents ignorance. Oh by the way measles has no real “treatment” – its primarily supportive care. FYI for those of you think vaccines cause some vague brain damage or developmental delay (they dont) – measles actually (proven) leads to encephalitis and subsequent sequela. After intubation and a week in the PICU the child made a full recovery, the parents immediately vaccinated their other child. Whats worse is some travel writer with no medical or scientific experience cite misleading statistics to clearly perpetuate a fundamentally flawed viewpoint.
I know this post is a few weeks old, but this really wasn’t a responsible post. Yes, the chance of getting measles is low, but the consequences are very high, and for those that cant get the vaccine they rely on a vaccinated population to stay safe. Roughly 95% of people in an area need to be vaccinated to stop rapid spreading of the disease and provide greater safety for those yet to be / who cant be vaccinated. You see the rapid spread of the disease in areas where that isn’t true. As one with a 2 month old who lives in Brooklyn very near to a pocket of measles i can tell you this is an extremely serious matter……and people with small children are very concerned. Measles is dangerous because of the way it can linger for hours in a location an infected person visits……those at risk have no way of knowing who walked through the subway or the airport before them. Also, if you are going to make a case that spikes in infection rates are relatively rare shouldn’t you cross reference with the vaccination rate (which has been falling)……