In response to a recent measles outbreak in Philadelphia, a group of doctors in the city is offering free vaccines to residents. According to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, there have been eight confirmed cases of measles since late December, all among unvaccinated individuals.

The outbreak began when a child was admitted to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in December and subsequently exposed three other unvaccinated children, leading to the spread of the disease. Some of the initial patients failed to adhere to quarantine instructions and exposed other children, exacerbating the situation.

The Black Doctors Consortium has taken action by organizing a pop-up clinic in northern Philadelphia where measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines will be provided free of charge. The clinic, located at the Dr. Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity, aims to vaccinate both children and adults who have not been vaccinated against measles or those who may have been exposed to the virus and are unsure of their immunity status. The group emphasized that no identification is required and there will be no out-of-pocket cost for the vaccine.

Philadelphia's health department is also hosting additional free vaccination sites across the city. However, participants must provide proof of residency, either through an ID or a piece of mail with an address.

Measles is highly contagious, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stating that every individual infected can spread the virus to up to 9 out of 10 people around them, if those individuals are unprotected or not vaccinated.

Prior to the availability of the MMR vaccine, the CDC reported that approximately three to four million Americans contracted measles each year. This led to 48,000 hospitalizations and 400 to 500 deaths annually. The CDC recommends individuals either receive two doses of the MMR vaccine or have had measles at some point in their life to be protected against the disease. The vaccine is highly effective, with one dose being 93% effective at preventing infection upon exposure to the virus, and two doses being 97% effective.

While approximately 93% of children in Philadelphia are fully vaccinated against measles by age six, experts stress that at least 95% vaccination coverage is required to achieve herd immunity, which significantly reduces the likelihood of disease transmission within a community.

Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, thanks to successful vaccination campaigns. However, localized outbreaks have occurred in recent years, particularly in areas with low vaccination rates. For instance, between November 2022 and February 2023, Ohio reported 85 measles cases, with 80 of those cases involving unvaccinated individuals. Similarly, in California, an outbreak occurred between December 2014 and February 2015, infecting 125 people after an unidentified person with measles visited Disneyland.

The drive to provide free measles vaccines in Philadelphia aims to mitigate the current outbreak and raise vaccination levels in the community, emphasizing the importance of immunization in preventing the spread of infectious diseases.