Last Updated on January 22, 2024 by Aditi Gangal
Quick Take
Recent reports have shown that passengers in Virginia, USA have highly contagious measles. After this, a social media video subsequently claims that the current U.S. measles outbreak is the mysterious disease X. We fact-checked and found the claim to be False.
The Claim
An Instagram video claims that measles is the new pandemic. The video displays on-screen text featuring the phrase Election 2024 along with a red arrow pointing to the words Disease X.
A screenshot below displays how the post looked when we last checked.
Fact Check
What is measles?
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection caused by the measles virus (MeV). People with measles often suffer from fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a distinctive red rash. Measles spreads through respiratory droplets and is preventable through vaccination. We also found that there have been concerns about measles outbreaks due to vaccine hesitancy.
Vaccines are often wrongly associated with causing diseases instead of curing them. In a story, we debunked that mass vaccinations caused the Spanish flu pandemic. In another instance, we refuted the claim that COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer. However, in most of the cases, the risks of vaccines outweigh the benefits.
Is the U.S. measles outbreak disease X?
No. Measles is not disease X. There is no proof that measles exposure has anything to do with Disease X. Disease X is just a term for a made-up infectious agent. This word is used by the World Health Organization (WHO) for potential diseases that could cause a big epidemic. There is no evidence that this made-up disease is responsible for measles cases at the airports, despite what an Instagram post says.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website informs that the measles vaccine has reduced the cases of measles in the U.S. However, people can bring it in from other places, for example when they travel. In 2023, there were 56 reported cases of measles in the U.S.
Lately, there has been a rise in measles cases in the USA, with reported instances at two airports within the country. The health departments in D.C. and Virginia have issued warnings urging people to be cautious and vigilant about measles.
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