Low Vaccination Rates Put USVI at Risk for Measles Outbreak, Health Officials Warn

Relatively low rates of vaccination among the population leaves the territory at risk of a larger-than-otherwise outbreak of measles, should the highly infectious disease reach our shores, according to local health officials. “Currently, the USVI childhood vaccine rate is at 60% with more and more parents applying for exemptions,” said V.I. Department of Health Assistant Commissioner Dr. Nicole Craigwell-Syms during a press conference on Monday. “This low vaccination rate puts our children and community at greater risk.”  Ideally, the share of the population vaccinated against measles and other childhood diseases should be “as high as possible,” said Dr. Esther Ellis, Territorial Epidemiologist for DOH. Firstly, vaccinated child receive protection against severe disease even if they are ultimately infected, she explained. Secondly, “when the vaccination rate falls below a certain number…the population is considered not to have herd immunity anymore,” Dr. Ellis noted. The absence of h...