Surging measles cases are 'fire alarm' warning that other diseases could be next

The surging number of measles cases around the world is a stark warning sign that outbreaks of other vaccine-preventable diseases could be next, the World Health Organization warned Friday.“It’s crucial to understand why measles matters,” said Dr.

The surging number of measles cases around the world is a stark warning sign that outbreaks of other vaccine-preventable diseases could be next, the World Health Organization warned Friday.

“It’s crucial to understand why measles matters,” said Dr. Kate O’Brien, director of the WHO’s Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals. “Its high transmissibility means that even small drops in vaccine coverage can trigger outbreaks, like a fire alarm going off when smoke is detected first.”

That is, measles is often the first disease to pop up when vaccination rates overall drop.

"When we see measles cases, it signals that gaps are almost certainly likely for other vaccine-preventable diseases like diphtheria or whooping cough or polio, even though they may not be setting off the fire alarm just yet," O'Brien said at a media briefing Monday, ahead of the release of the WHO's Progress Toward Measles Elimination report, published Friday in its Weekly Epidemiological Record.

Indeed, whooping cough cases are also rising in the United States and are on track to be the most in a decade. More than 20,000 whooping cough cases have been reported so far in 2025, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.