An outbreak in South Carolina spread to Washington state through five separate travel-related introductions over just two weeks, resulting in 26 additional cases. Published in NEJM Evidence, the study highlights how declining vaccination rates are making domestic travel a growing measles transmission risk, even as international travel remains a concern. Whole genome sequencing was critical in tracing the distinct transmission events.
Background
Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, but cases have increasingly come from both international travelers and domestic spread as vaccination rates decline in some communities. Washington state's experience mirrors broader concerns about disease transmission via domestic travel corridors.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Oct 28, 2026 at 06:22 AM
- Score
- 7.0 / 10