Measles Surging Globally as Vaccination Gaps Widen Post-COVID

In a hard-hitting report published in the American Journal of Nursing, lead author Dr. Karen Roush (PhD, RN, FNP-BC) underscores a disturbing resurgence of measles infections worldwide, with cases rising 20% in 2023 to 10.3 million, per joint data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Roush attributes this surge to pandemic-era disruptions in global immunization infrastructure, including supply chain breakdowns and reduced access to services, leaving childhood vaccination rates dangerously below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity.

While COVID-19 fallout explains part of the problem, Roush identifies vaccine hesitancy as a growing threat in both high- and low-income nations. In the U.S.—where measles was declared eliminated in 2000—vaccination rates have dipped from 95% in 2019–2020 to 93% in 2023–2024, with nonmedical school exemptions reaching record levels. Outbreaks are rising in tandem; the U.S. saw 16 in 2024, including a major cluster in Texas. Globally, over 100,000 deaths from measles were reported in 2023—most in children under five—with many more suffering long-term immune suppression and secondary vulnerabilities.

Roush’s analysis draws from authoritative global datasets and avoids overt speculation. However, it reflects a strong public health stance favoring immediate policy action.

The report champions the WHO’s 2021–2030 Measles and Rubella Strategic Framework, which urges tailored, tech-enabled, community-integrated responses. While the article presents sobering facts, it also implies an urgent call for rebuilding vaccine confidence, suggesting that misinformation and policy complacency now rival infrastructure failures as the main barriers to global measles elimination.