From guest writer Dr. Jeffrey Jenks,

Hello, Durham County! I’d like to start off by introducing myself – my name is Dr. Jeffrey Jenks, and I am the Medical and Laboratory Director for the Durham County Department of Public Health. You may be asking yourself why I am writing this edition of the Manager’s weekly blog. It’s because each year in the month of April, we celebrate both National Infant Immunization Week (April 21-28) and World Immunization Week (April 24-30). So, it’s a perfect time to celebrate the lives saved by vaccines and to remind all people of the importance of staying up to date on recommended vaccinations. Vaccines are safe and play a critical role in protecting our communities. Now more than ever, it is important to spread facts about vaccination and encourage one another not to skip this safe and effective health care strategy.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the last 50 years, vaccines have saved more than 154 million lives – six lives every minute. Thanks to vaccines, the world has seen the eradication or significant reduction of more than a dozen diseases and steep declines in deaths caused by many others. For example, prior to the availability of vaccines, polio outbreaks caused more than 15,000 cases of paralysis each year, and smallpox was one of the most common causes of childhood death, killing 3 out of every 10 people who contracted it. Thanks to vaccines, cases of polio have decreased by more than 99 percent, and no naturally occurring cases of smallpox have occurred since 1980. More recently, in the time since the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was first used in the United States in 2006, infections with HPV viruses that cause cancer have dropped 88 percent in teen girls and 81 percent in young adult women. In addition, it is estimated that the COVID-19 vaccines saved an estimated 20 million lives in the first year that it was available.

Unfortunately, despite the millions of lives saved each year by vaccines, we are beginning to see increases in lives lost to preventable illnesses as vaccination rates decrease. This year, North Carolina lost more than 500 lives to the seasonal flu – the highest number since reporting began in 2009 – while flu vaccination rates still have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, you’ve likely been hearing in the news that the U.S. is currently experiencing a significant outbreak of measles, a disease that was previously declared eliminated in the U.S. due to the effectiveness of vaccines.

In the first few months of 2025, there have already been more than 700 confirmed cases of measles and three deaths, and the actual case count is likely much higher. This is more than twice the total number confirmed in all of 2024. Measles is one of the most contagious illnesses on earth. About 9 out of 10 people exposed to measles will also become ill if they are not protected by prior measles vaccination or prior infection, and it can spread without direct contact from an infected person. In fact, measles can spread through the air for up to two hours after an infected person has left the room. The good news is that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is highly effective. Receiving both recommended doses is more than 97 percent effective at preventing measles. In the current outbreak, 97 percent of confirmed cases so far were unvaccinated or of unknown vaccination status.

It’s extremely important to make sure you and your family have been vaccinated against measles. It’s more than just a rash. About 1 out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children. It can also cause brain swelling, intellectual disabilities, deafness, hospitalization, and death, as well as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a debilitating condition that appears 7 to 10 years after initial measles infection and is almost always fatal.

Anyone can get measles, but babies and children under age five are among the groups at highest risk for severe illness and death. In addition to World Immunization Week, next week is also National Infant Immunization Week. According to the WHO, vaccination accounts for 40 percent of the improvement in infant survival in the last 50 years, with more children now living until at least their first birthday than ever before, and the measles vaccine alone accounts for 60 percent of those lives saved.

Vaccination is the single most effective way to protect yourself and your family from preventable illnesses like measles. Vaccines are rigorously tested for safety and effectiveness and have been saving lives for generations. All routine vaccinations, including measles vaccines, are available here in our immunization clinic. Learn more at DCoPublicHealth.org/immunization or call us at 919-560-7608 to schedule an appointment.

Get the facts and get your family up to date on vaccines today!

Thank you,

Dr. Jeffrey Jenks | Medical and Laboratory Director, Durham County Department of Public Health