Viruses don't know borders': US anti-vaccine rhetoric could impact global measles crisis

"The World Health Organization announced in late January that six European countries: the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan had all officially lost their measles elimination status, which means the virus has been circulating continuously in those countries for more than 12 months."

"In order to contain measles, at least 95% of children should be fully vaccinated against it, according to health recommendations, but vaccination rates have been falling across Europe. Measles vaccination in the UK has fallen especially dramatically, with only 84% of five-year-olds receiving both recommended doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine as of 2024."

"The rhetoric that happens in the United States spills over across borders to other countries, Nuzzo said, We live in a global ecosystem, so when they hear, well, [the vaccine is] not good enough for the Americans, maybe it's not good for us either."

Six European countries—the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan—have officially lost measles elimination status, meaning the virus has circulated continuously for over 12 months in each. Measles elimination requires at least 95% vaccination coverage, but rates are falling across Europe. The UK has been particularly affected, with only 84% of five-year-olds receiving both MMR vaccine doses as of 2024. The discredited 1998 Wakefield study linking MMR to autism continues to fuel vaccine hesitancy despite retraction over 15 years ago. US anti-vaccine messaging, amplified by health officials, influences global vaccine confidence, as populations question vaccine safety when hearing American skepticism.

Read at www.theguardian.com