Measles Deaths Fall; Cases Still Higher Than Target

But more than 100,000 still die each year, report says.

April 24, 2012 RSS Feed Print

"Measles is receding globally because of vaccination, but the problem that remains is twofold," said Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at New York University in New York City.

That problem involves parents who resist vaccination. A residual fear that the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine causes autism has taken a decade to overcome following the publication in Britain of a later-discredited study linking the two, Siegel said. In addition, some people in the United States choose not to have their children vaccinated for religious reasons, he said.

The main symptom of measles is an itchy skin rash. A fever and cough can follow.

More information

For more information on measles, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.