It's been 25 years since measles was officially "eliminated" from the United States. That's a technical term. In public health, it means measles has not had a steady twelve month spread. Right now there are measles cases in several states The biggest number of cases are in West Texas where two kids have died. A quarter of a century after measles was officially eliminated in the US, the disease is once again spreading in West Texas, New Mexico and there are cases in several other states. What can be done to get the virus under control? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
What historical efforts were made to combat measles in the U.S.?
On February 12, 1993, President Bill Clinton took the lectern at a public health center in Arlington, Virginia. Thank you. He was surrounded by kids sitting on the stage in front of him. Some had just received vaccinations.
Clinton was just a few weeks into his presidency, and he was announcing what would become a major initiative of his first term, a massive push by the federal government to vaccinate children.
We came here today to make this day a landmark in the fight to protect the health of millions of our children.
One virus was top of mind.
The recent resurgence of measles in our country afflicted over 55,000 people, most of whom were children.
Remember, this was 1993. A prolonged measles outbreak between 1989 and 91 killed more than 100 people and sickened tens of thousands. A federal advisory committee found that pricey vaccines, cuts to federal support for vaccination, and low vaccination rates among young children had caused the outbreak to be so severe. This is what Clinton wanted to fix. So did lawmakers.
Six months after that event at the Public Health Center, Congress passed Clinton's Comprehensive Childhood Immunization Act. The law helped the government purchase vaccines and negotiate prices with drug manufacturers. It made vaccines free for many children and helped the Department of Health and Human Services track childhood immunizations.
By the end of Clinton's second term in office, the World Health Organization had declared the elimination of measles in the United States. Fast forward 25 years.
This is going to be a large outbreak, and we are still on the side where we are increasing the number of cases.
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