US measles cases reach 33-year high with active outbreaks in 14 states
The national case count reached 1,288 on Wednesday, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), though public health experts say the true figure may be higher.
The CDC's count is 14 infections higher than 2019, when the US almost lost its status of having eliminated the vaccine-preventable illness – something that could happen this year if the virus spreads without stopping for 12 months.
But the US is still far from 1991, when there were 9,643 confirmed cases.
In a short statement, the federal government said that the CDC 'continues to recommend (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccines as the best way to protect against measles'.
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It also said it is 'supporting community efforts' to tamp down ongoing outbreaks as requested.
Fourteen states have active outbreaks; four other states' outbreaks have ended. The largest outbreak started five months ago in undervaccinated communities in West Texas.
Three people have died – two children in Texas and an adult in New Mexico – and dozens of people have been hospitalized across the US.
'What concerned me early on in this outbreak was is it spreading to other parts of the United States, and that's definitely what's happening now,' said Katherine Wells, the public health director from Lubbock County in Texas.
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In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC said measles had been eliminated from the US. But continuing vaccine hesitancy could threaten that status.
'What we're seeing with measles is a little bit of a 'canary in a coal mine,'' said Lauren Gardner, leader of Johns Hopkins University's independent measles and COVID-19 tracking databases. 'It's indicative of a problem that we know exists with vaccination attitudes in this county and just, I think, likely to get worse'.
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In early June, the platform suspended search results for the viral hashtag #SkinnyTok, after drawing criticism from health experts and European regulators. The hashtag had been associated primarily with videos promoting extreme weight loss, calorie restriction and negative body talk, often presented as wellness advice. A TikTok spokesperson also told CBS News on Thursday that searches for words or phrases such as #Anorexia would lead users to relevant assistance, including localized eating disorder helplines, where they can access further information and support. "I think we're understanding more and more about how this content shows up and so even when you ban a particular hashtag, for example, it's not long until something similar jumps up in its place," Doreen Marshall, who leads the American nonprofit National Eating Disorders Association [NEDA], told CBS News. "This is going to be an evolving landscape both for creating content guidelines, but also for the platforms themselves and, you know, while some progress has been made, there's clearly more that can be done," Marshall said. TikTok is not the only social media platform that has faced criticism for the accessibility of extreme weight loss content. In 2022, 60 Minutes reported on a leaked internal document from Meta that showed the company was aware, through its own research, of content on its Instagram platform promoting extreme weight loss and fueling eating disorders in young people. At the time, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, declined 60 Minutes' request for an interview but its global head of safety, Antigone Davis, said, "We want teens to be safe online" and that Instagram doesn't "allow content promoting self-harm or eating disorders." Last year, 60 Minutes reported that the Google-owned YouTube video platform, which is hugely popular among teenagers, was also serving up extreme weight loss and eating disorder content to children. Responding to that report, a YouTube representative said the platform "continually works with mental health experts to refine [its] approach to content recommendations for teens." Available resources: National Eating Disorder Association If you or someone you know is experiencing concerns about body image or eating behaviors, NEDA has a free, confidential screening tool and resources at F.E.A.S.T. is a nonprofit organization providing free support for caregivers with loved ones suffering from eating disorders.
