US Scientists Sequence 1,000 Genomes From Measles, a Disease Long Eliminated With Vaccines

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted online its first large tranche of advanced genetic data from measles viruses spreading last year. Scientists with knowledge of the operation expect the agency to post heaps more in weeks to come, revealing whether the U.S.

has lost its hard-won measles elimination status. The CDC withheld the data for months as a team hit hard by mass layoffs and resignations sorted through the information.

But now that scientists at the agency have posted their first batch of whole measles genomes — the genetic blueprint of the viruses — the rest should “start flowing more smoothly at a more rapid cadence,” said Kristian Andersen, an evolutionary virologist at the Scripps Research Institute who isn’t involved with the CDC’s effort but is following it. The CDC did not answer queries from KFF Health News on its timeline for publishing measles data or analyses.

However, once all the data is public, researchers can run quick initial analyses that will signal whether outbreaks across the U.S.