German measles eradicated in Thailand, after vaccination rates rose

In Thailand, “rubella, a virus that can cause severe birth defects if contracted by a pregnant woman, is no longer a public health problem,” reports a website. Rubella is also known as German measles. “While usually mild in children and adults, it is extremely dangerous during pregnancy. Contracting rubella can lead to miscarriage, fetal death, or severe birth defects known as congenital rubella syndrome. It is effectively prevented by the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.” 

Last week, the World Health Organization announced that “Thailand has been verified for eliminating rubella as a public health problem, marking a major milestone in the country’s efforts to protect children, women and families from vaccine-preventable diseases. Rubella, also known as German measles, is a contagious viral infection…Rubella can be prevented through safe, effective and affordable vaccines…Thailand is now the seventh country in the WHO South-East Asia Region to achieve rubella elimination, joining Bhutan, DPR Korea, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste. Four countries in the Region – Bhutan, DPR Korea, Maldives and Timor-Leste – have eliminated both measles and rubella.” Thailand’s strong system of routine immunization was credited for the victory over rubella.

While vaccination rates have risen in Thailand, they have fallen in the U.S. Records show that “U.S. kindergarten MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccination coverage has fallen from 95.2% before the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2020 school year) to roughly 92.4% to 92.5% for the 2025–2026 school year, representing a decline of about 2.7 to 2.8 percentage points.This drop places national coverage below the critical 95% herd immunity threshold required to prevent sustained community transmission of measles.”

Recently, there have been big measles outbreaks in places like South Carolina, as vaccination rates have fallen.

Back in 2000, measles had been eradicated in the U.S., and was declared eliminated. But that was a time when more Americans got vaccinated against measles.

Over the last 25 years, vaccination rates have plummeted (especially over the last 5 years), and people with measles sometimes migrate into the United States. By 2013, U.S. vaccination rates for measles had fallen to 91% for 1-year-olds, similar to the vaccination rate in Mexico, and lower than the vaccination rates of Canada, England, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine. Now, the vaccination rate for American 1-year-olds is closer to 80%.

So a lot more people are unvaccinated, and can catch the measles, in the United States.

By contrast, 22 nations have eliminated measles and rubella by vaccinating at rates of over 90%.

Unvaccinated children died last year of measles in Los Angeles and Texas.

Measles vaccination has saved 94 million lives globally since 1974. Of those, 92 million were children”, says Our World in Data. But measles vaccination rates have fallen in the U.S., and as a result, an unvaccinated child died this year in Texas.

After vaccination rates fell, whooping cough cases jumped 14-fold in Michigan, resulting in a few deaths. Many more people are getting the disease, which makes you feel awful, as if you are coughing your lungs out. For babies, the disease can be deadly.