Since December 2023, 23 people have been confirmed to have been infected with measles.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning clinicians to remain vigilant for measles cases as the number of infections increases.
According to the report, between December 1, 2023 and January 23, 2024, there were 23 confirmed measles cases, including seven in international travelers, each of which infected five or more people. Two cases occurred. Email It was sent this week.
Infections have also been reported in Pennsylvania. new jersey, Delaware And that washington dc area so far.
Most of these cases were children and adolescents who were eligible for measles vaccination but did not receive it.
According to the CDC, most measles cases in the United States are caused by unvaccinated or partially vaccinated Americans who travel abroad, become infected with measles, and are not vaccinated upon their return. It occurs when it is transmitted to people.
Federal health officials said the rise in cases in the United States reflects the rise in cases worldwide, posing a “growing global threat.”
“Due to recent cases, health care workers should be on alert for patients with: (1) febrile exanthematous disease; Symptoms consistent with measles (for example(cough, coryza, conjunctivitis), and (2) recent travel abroad, especially to countries where measles is endemic. trend” the CDC wrote in a message.
The CDC says that if a health care worker suspects a patient has measles, they should immediately isolate the patient for at least four days after symptoms appear and notify the local or state health department. The patient should then be tested, close contacts should be provided with post-exposure prophylaxis, and all contacts who are not up to date on measles vaccination should be vaccinated.
Measles is a highly contagious disease and the CDC says everyone can be infected with the virus Can spread the infection to up to 10 close contacts If you are not protected, such as not wearing a mask or not being vaccinated.
Complications from measles It can be relatively benign, such as a rash, or more serious, such as viral sepsis, pneumonia, or brain swelling.
CDC To tell People who have had measles at some point in their lives or who have received two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine are protected from measles.
One dose of measles vaccine is 93% effective in preventing infection if exposed to the virus. It is 97% effective after two doses.
There was a measles epidemic in 2000. Exclusion has been declared Transmission from the United States has spread thanks to a highly effective vaccination campaign, but outbreaks have occurred in unvaccinated areas of the country in recent years.
From November 2022 to February 2023, 85 children in Ohio contracted measles, 80 of whom were unvaccinated.
In California, an unidentified measles infected person who visited Disneyland caused an outbreak. 125 people infected From December 2014 to February 2015.