{
  "id": "R43899",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "R43899",
  "active": true,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 438107,
      "date": "2015-02-09",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-06T19:30:25.345305",
      "title": "The Measles: Background and Federal Role in Vaccine Policy",
      "summary": "The earliest accounts of measles date back over 1,000 years. This report presents basic information about this infectious disease, its history in the United States, available treatments to prevent individuals from contracting measles, and the federal role in combatting measles\u2014from funding, to research, to the authority of the federal government in requiring mandatory childhood vaccinations. The report provides additional resources for information on measles and recommendations for vaccination against the disease.\nAccording to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), \u201cmeasles is a highly contagious virus that lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person.\u201d It is transmitted through coughing and sneezing, and it can live for up to two hours on a surface or in an airspace where an infected person coughed or sneezed. Someone who is not immunized against measles and comes into contact with the virus has a 90% chance of becoming infected. \nAccording to the CDC, in 2013 (the most recent year in which data are available) \u201cthe overall national coverage for MMR vaccine among children aged 19-35 months was 91.9%.\u201d However, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine coverage levels continue to vary by state, with 10 states reporting 95% of children aged 19-35 months receiving at least one dose of MMR vaccine, while in 17 other states, less than 90% were vaccinated. \nThe President\u2019s FY2016 budget request for the CDC reports that \u201cfrom January 1 to November 29, 2014, CDC received reports of 610 measles cases from 24 states in the United States. This is the highest number of cases reported in the United States, including the largest single measles outbreak, since the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program was established in 1994.\u201d Thus far in 2015 (through January 30), CDC has received reports of 102 measles cases located in 14 states. While the overall U.S. MMR annual vaccination rate has exceeded 90% since 1996, the increased number of imported measles cases, combined with pockets of unvaccinated individuals, has resulted in a larger number of outbreaks in recent years.\nThe role of the federal government in vaccine policy, particularly in the development of guidelines for when to administer specific vaccines (and when not to) and to what populations is extensive. The federal government also has a major role in the purchase and distribution of vaccines, particularly childhood vaccines. However, the role of the federal government is much more limited and constrained in its ability to mandate the use of specific vaccines by individuals\u2014this responsibility rests primarily with state and local officials.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": true,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43899",
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43899",
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      "topics": []
    }
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  "topics": []
}