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The Philadelphia Health Department is offering the MMR vaccine free of charge following an outbreak of measles cases in the city.
CNN
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The measles outbreak has grown to eight people in the past month, including at least five children, the city of Philadelphia said. public health center.
James Garrow, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, said all of the infected people were people who did not have immunity to the virus.
A person infected with measles outside the United States visited Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in early December, and three people he came into contact with at the hospital later tested positive for the highly contagious virus, the health department said.
One of the people exposed at the hospital attended a day care in Philadelphia. A few days later, two children at the day care were hospitalized with measles.
“The Ministry of Health was informed that on December 20 and 21, a measles patient attended a day care facility where children and staff were infected,” the ministry said in a statement. statement.
Health officials announced Friday that they have learned that three more children may have been infected with measles at the nursery school.
On Monday, the Department of Health reported eight confirmed measles cases (the first case, four in day care, and three acquired in hospital).
Philadelphia health officials added more locations and dates. list Garrow summarized possible exposures that may have occurred between Dec. 19 and Jan. 3. It said anyone who may have been exposed was advised to quarantine for 21 days after exposure.
“It’s important to stay home because it’s highly contagious, airborne, and can hang in the air for several hours,” said Maryland-based P.M., a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. said Dr. Christina Johns, a pediatric emergency physician at Pediatric Care. urgent care. “Additionally, I think this is a note that everyone should know about how quickly this infection can spread and therefore the importance of vaccination. The only way to prevent this disease is to The way, and of course the only way to prevent future very concerning potential complications from measles, is to get vaccinated.”
The department provides free vaccinations against measles, mumps, and rubella for residents of the city.
Expert Recommendation to Children are to receive two vaccinations. The first time is between 12 and 15 months of age, and the second time is between 4 and 6 years of age. One dose is approximately 93% effective in preventing exposure to the measles virus. Approximately 97% efficacy is achieved with two doses.
The Philadelphia Department of Health said: 93% of children In the city, children are vaccinated against measles by the age of 6.
Measles can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes and can remain in the air for up to two hours after the infected person leaves the room. An infected person can also share germs by touching objects or surfaces.
It begins with symptoms typical of many respiratory illnesses, typically starting as a rash on the face and spreading downward three to five days after symptoms begin.
“Measles is dangerous for those who are not vaccinated. Also, the very young tend to be at greatest risk for measles and its complications,” Johns said.
“Complications after infection can also include blindness. These include encephalitis, a rare but serious neurological disease that can occur even years later. “So it’s not something that can be taken lightly,” she said.
CDC/File
Example of skin rash on the abdomen of a patient 3 days after onset of measles infection.
Although measles is considered eliminated in the United States, if an unvaccinated person travels to a country where the disease is still endemic, becomes infected and brings it back to the United States, an unvaccinated person may If infected with the virus, there is a possibility of an outbreak.
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“For most people who are fully vaccinated, the risk of being exposed to measles is low. But the potential for infecting more vulnerable populations is very high,” Johns said. “Therefore, it is important that everyone does their part in an outbreak like this, being aware of the ongoing situation and strictly following public health recommendations.”
Johns said vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks like this one are a “call to action” for local residents to keep their vaccinations up to date.
“Many of these diseases that people think are no big deal are actually no big deal because they haven’t been seen for a long time thanks to vaccinations. So vaccine-preventable diseases can come back. “It’s really important to remember that we need to make sure that people are vaccinated so that they don’t get infected,” she said.
According to one report, approximately 92% of children in the United States are vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella by age 2. 2023 report From the CDC.
in front of National measles vaccination programabout 3 million to 4 million people get infected with the virus each year, and about 400 to 500 die.
According to the CDC, there were 48 measles cases in 2023. report.
The last significant measles outbreak in the United States occurred in Rockland County, New York, in 2018-2019 and was concentrated among the following people: Unvaccinated children in the Orthodox Jewish community.