not surprising
David Sugarman, who leads the CDC measles response, said on the call that the 9171 subtype “unfortunately, continues to persist unabated in many jurisdictions.”
According to the Times, local health officials are pessimistic that they will be able to stop the spread of the virus, saying vaccination efforts have had a “limited” impact. As Ars previously reported, vaccination rates are alarmingly low in two measles hotspots: northwestern Mohave County, Arizona, and Utah’s southwestern health district. Vaccination rates among kindergartners in the 2024-2025 school year were 78.4 percent and 80.7 percent, respectively. This is well below the 95 percent target needed to prevent further spread of the virus in communities.
Additionally, public health officials in Arizona and Utah have reported obstacles in responding to the outbreak. Nearly one-quarter of cases do not know how they came to light, suggesting that cases and disclosures are being missed. In late October, health officials in Salt Lake County, Utah said that a person infected with measles refused to cooperate with their investigation, leaving them unable to confirm a possible case.
David Kimberlin, who sits on a panel of experts analyzing measles data to review the United States’ eradication status, told the Times, “I would not be the least bit surprised if it continues to spread over the next several months.”
To date, CDC has counted 1,723 cases of measles in 42 states. The majority of those cases (87 percent) were linked to outbreaks, of which 45 have been reported this year. For context, there were 16 outbreaks and a total of 285 measles cases in the US last year. This year, measles cases are the highest in 33 years.