US measles outbreak: CDC offers states US$100 million in support

Apoorva Mandavilli and Dani BlumNEW YORK – As measles continues to spread nationwide, hospitals and health officials are pouring more money into efforts to increase vaccinations, testing and surveillance of the disease. The funds include a surprise US$100 million (S$128 million) infusion in recent weeks to states from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.As of Oct 2, the United States had recorded nearly 4,000 measles cases, the highest by far in decades. About one-quarter of those cases have occurred in Pennsylvania, where state officials say five people with the virus have died. But nearly every state has reported cases in 2026.The funding is intended for immunisation programmes and for efforts to improve measles surveillance, including diagnoses of severe infections and cases in pregnant women and infants. Measles infections at birth had been extremely rare in the United States, but two of the Pennsylvania deaths were thought to have resulted from such cases.The infusion of funds “comes at a time when public health funding and staffing has been cut, so it is sorely needed”, said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunisation Managers, which represents state and local officials.“It’s very difficult to hold special vaccination clinics, alert the public, stop transmission and conduct other response activities without preparation,” she said, adding that some health departments may use the money to identify where immunisation rates need the biggest boost.At least 95% of people in a community need to be vaccinated to stem the spread of measles.Some public health experts noted that the CDC has not launched the sort of publicity campaigns it typically would in outbreaks to increase immunisations.Some experts attributed the measles outbreaks to misinformation from officials about the safety of vaccines, which has exacerbated declining vaccination rates.In August, President Donald Trump called for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines, which are given together as a single shot, to be split into their separate components. He claimed, with no evidence, that “together, there could be a possibility they’re quite lethal”.Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also repeatedly questioned the safety of the combination shot for measles, mumps and rubella, falsely claiming that the vaccine can be fatal and that it contains fetal debris. NYTIMESThis article originally appeared in The New York Times.