A study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology found that about 7% of patients with measles who sought medical care were misdiagnosed at least once. CIDRAP has the news.
These findings suggest these errors aren’t common. However, the authors of the study argue that this shows the need to consider early measles testing among patients with respiratory symptoms. Patients spending more time in waiting rooms and clinics increases the risk of transmission generally. Plus, long-term concerns from measles include permanent brain damage, a compromised immune system, and sensory impairment, regardless of the fact that every one to three unvaccinated children out of 1,000 infected will die of respiratory and neurologic complications.
The researchers identified 4,651 U.S. measles cases from 2001 through 2023 and estimated 381 of those were misdiagnosed. Outpatient settings accounted for 81% of missed cases. These settings usually have fewer infection control resources than hospitals, which can make diagnostic delays even more concerning, according to the authors. Children under 2 years old were more likely to get misdiagnosed.
The authors also theorized that measles may not be included in many doctors’ differential diagnosis due to the long-term availability of a vaccine. Thus, they may not have ever encountered a patient with the illness. However, vaccination rates continue to drop, and the U.S. is nearing 5,000 cases this year alone.
