This is Part 1 of The Vaccine Divide, an updated data investigation into America potentially losing its measles-free status as the deadly virus roars back and childhood vaccine defenses continue to crack and crumble.
\n\nWhen Dr. Jeffrey Koplan took over as head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1998, he and his colleagues pledged to stop the spread of measles in the United States within four years. They did it in two.
\n\n“We had a great vaccine,” said Koplan, now vice president for global health at Emory University. “Everyone was on board.” He attributed the success to widespread, bipartisan support from national public health groups, including the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, as well as pediatricians and state health departments.
\n\nThe virus receded, with only about 100 confirmed cases in the entire country that year. By 2000, a scourge of childhood was officially eliminated in the U.S.
\n\nNow, it has roared back. There have been 43 new outbreaks this year, with more than 5,000 confirmed cases, according to the CDC. Eight people, including four babies too young to be vaccinated, have died.
\n\nMore than a year after an NBC News/Stanford University data investigation first revealed…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business