A measles outbreak is spreading in the Philadelphia area after at least eight people were confirmed to be infected with the highly contagious virus.
NBC News According to a report, the outbreak began when a child who had been living abroad was admitted to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) with an infection. Doctors eventually determined that the illness was measles.by who, Measles is easily spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Anyone can be affected, but children are most common. Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and rash all over the body.
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health did not tell NBC News where the child contracted the disease.
The newspaper said that while at the hospital, the child spread the disease to three other patients, including a parent and child who had been admitted for other health reasons.
The child infected with measles at the hospital had not yet been vaccinated. Their parents were also not vaccinated. The adult was offered medication meant for unvaccinated adults to prevent post-exposure illness, but he reportedly refused.
The situation worsened when the parents ignored it. Philadelphia Department of Public HealthQuarantine rules recommend that people who may have been exposed to measles stay at home and away from others.
Instead, she sent her child to nursery school on December 20th and 21st. There, the measles spread to four more people. The health department told NBC News that none of the people diagnosed with the virus have immunity to measles, meaning they have not received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine or have not received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine in the past. He said that means he has never been infected with measles.
Doug Thompson, chief medical officer at St. Christopher’s Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, told the outlet that the hospital has seen three patients between the ages of 1 and 2 since the current outbreak. He added that not everyone has been vaccinated.
“Certainly we have been extremely cautious about people who have had the rash, but we are asking everyone about their contact with measles patients,” he said.
a press release According to a statement from the City of Philadelphia, the city is currently working to identify everyone who may have been exposed, check their vaccination status, alert them to possible exposure, and place them in quarantine or if necessary. It is said that it is recommending its exclusion.
Additionally, Philadelphia has high vaccination rates, with at least 93% of children fully vaccinated by the age of 6, but about 90% of those in close contact with an infected person are unvaccinated. added that there is a possibility of contracting measles.
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according to data Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization announced in November 2023, the measles crisis remains a widespread problem.
A joint report released by the two agencies on Friday said there was an 18% increase in measles cases and a 43% increase in measles deaths from 2021 to 2022. The decline in vaccinations that have become available during the coronavirus pandemic is believed to be a contributing factor.
“In 2022, measles vaccination coverage and global surveillance showed some recovery from the setbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, coverage declined in low-income countries; Years of suboptimal immunization rates have left millions of children unprotected.” report said.
The number of measles cases worldwide increased from 7,802,000 to 9,232,300, and the number of countries experiencing devastating outbreaks also increased from 22 to 37. The number of measles deaths jumped to 136,200 in 2022. Officials estimate that 57 million measles deaths were averted through vaccination from 2000 to 2000. 2022.
“The rise in measles outbreaks and deaths is staggering, but unfortunately given the decline in vaccination rates seen over the past few years,” said John Vertefeuille, director of the CDC’s Global Immunization Division. , which is not unexpected.” news release. “Measles cases everywhere pose a risk to all under-vaccinated countries and communities. Urgent, targeted efforts are essential to prevent measles disease and death.”