Global Measles Resurgence

Regional Trends, High-Income Comparisons, and Geographic Synchronization

Team Team Trusting-Hedgehog
Shence Yang, Jingxuan Liu, Jiayi Tan

2026-03-03

Data overview

Variables in cases_year.csv
Variable Type Missing
region character 0.0%
country character 0.1%
iso3 character 0.0%
year numeric 0.0%
total_population numeric 0.0%
annualized_population_most_recent_year_only numeric 0.0%
total_suspected_measles_rubella_cases numeric 3.7%
measles_total numeric 0.0%
measles_lab_confirmed numeric 0.0%
measles_epi_linked numeric 0.0%
measles_clinical numeric 0.0%
measles_incidence_rate_per_1000000_total_population numeric 0.0%
rubella_total numeric 0.0%
rubella_lab_confirmed numeric 0.0%
rubella_epi_linked numeric 0.0%
rubella_clinical numeric 0.0%
rubella_incidence_rate_per_1000000_total_population numeric 0.0%
discarded_cases numeric 3.7%
discarded_non_measles_rubella_cases_per_100000_total_population numeric 17.1%

Question 1

How have measles incidence rates changed over time across WHO regions, and is the recent U.S. resurgence part of a broader high-income-country trend?

Plot 1

  • AFR and EMR generally have higher measles incidence, shown by darker colors across many years.
  • EUR and WPR experience noticeable outbreaks in certain periods, especially mid-2010s and early 2020s.
  • AMR stays mostly low, while SEAR shows moderate levels with some fluctuations over time.

Plot 2

  • The United States shows a small increase in measles incidence in recent years.
  • Several other high-income countries also show increases, some larger than the U.S.
  • Overall, the rise in the U.S. appears to be part of a broader trend among some high-income countries.

Question 2

Are resurgence patterns geographically clustered, and do regions show synchronized increases over time?

Plot 1

  • Measles resurgence in 2025 is uneven across the world.
  • Higher resurgence appears in clusters in regions like North America, South America, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.
  • This suggests outbreaks tend to happen in regional groups rather than isolated countries.

Plot 2

  • Several WHO regions rise above the baseline around 2018–2019 and 2023–2024, suggesting shared resurgence waves.
  • The timing and size of peaks differ across regions.
  • This indicates measles resurgence is partly global but still shaped by regional conditions.

Questions?