A Call to Action: Strengthening Vaccine Confidence in the United States.

Abstract

* Abbreviation: CDC — : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention In the United States and around the world, measles (a serious, potentially fatal, and extremely contagious infection) was considered a disease of the past until recently. However, what was once old news is now making headlines again with a remarkably predictable storyline: when immunity to measles falls in a population, outbreaks soon follow. This scenario has unfolded in places such as Ukraine, the Philippines, Israel, and Samoa with devastating consequences.1 In 2019 alone, the United Kingdom and 3 other European countries lost measles elimination status in part because of vaccine hesitancy, or the delay in acceptance or the refusal of vaccination despite availability of vaccination services, which was named one of the top global public health threats by the World Health Organization. Amid this global measles resurgence, the United States experienced a chain reaction of measles cases imported into close-knit, undervaccinated communities (primarily by unvaccinated US residents carrying measles home from outbreaks abroad), leading to outbreaks across the country in 2018 and 2019. These outbreaks were fueled by targeted vaccine misinformation and resulted in the highest number of measles cases in almost 30 years, nearly costing the United States its measles elimination status.2 To protect our nation, we need to change this narrative. We must empower families, in all … Address correspondence to Sarah Mbaeyi, MD, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, Mail Stop H24-8, Atlanta, GA 30329. E-mail: smbaeyi{at}cdc.gov