Utah is "flying" from its own measles epidemic, says expert

SALT LAKE CITY – The year already announced as one of the worst for measles outbreaks across the country.

And while the highly contagious respiratory illness has not yet touched Utahns, "we are just an aerial flight in a future case," said Dr. Tamara Sheffield, Medical Director of Community Health and Prevention at Utahns. Intermountain Healthcare.

"The Utahns do not need to panic, but rather to carefully consider their immunization status," she said, adding that it was not too late to get vaccinated. "If we do not get vaccinated, we put others in danger."

New York City health officials have made vaccinations mandatory in the most-affected communities, threatening fines of up to $ 1,000 for non-compliance, the report said. Associated Press. A decree in this country also banned unvaccinated children from visiting indoor public spaces to help prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease.

"Our goal is not to impose fines on anyone," said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, calling the situation a "public health emergency."

"Our goal is to vaccinate people," he said. "But we are also trying to help everyone understand that there is urgency here … The reason the city government is empowered in case of public health emergency is to save lives. "

Measles outbreaks have appeared in 19 states since the beginning of the year, with the increasing number of cases contributing to the second largest epidemic in the United States since the elimination of measles in 2000, according to the Center. for Disease Control and Prevention.

States that have reported cases to CDC are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, the United States. Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas and Washington. .

The federal agency claims that the transmission of the disease for recent cases probably comes from countries where measles is more prevalent – everywhere in Europe, Asia, the Pacific, Africa and the Philippines – in the most vulnerable places. frequented. It encourages users to view CDC travel advisories online before traveling to a foreign country.

Nearly 90,000 people worldwide die each year from the disease, reports the CDC.

Sheffield said the symptoms of measles include coughing, runny nose, sneezing and high fever, resulting in a rash from head to toe four days later. It is transmitted by air and on surfaces and is contagious before and after the appearance of bumps, which is why it is transmitted so quickly from one person to another.

"This is the most highly infectious virus that can be prevented by vaccination," Sheffield said. The virus can exist up to two hours after the departure of an infected person and can be infected for 14 days before the onset of symptoms.

Babies and immunodeficient people who can not be immunized against measles can develop serious complications, including swelling of the brain, which can lead to brain damage and even death.

"To prevent an outbreak in your community, you must have a herd immunity rate of 97%," Sheffield said.

An increasing number of vaccine exemptions are being filed in state school districts, with the majority of exempted parents exempted in Utah citing personal reasons for religious or medical reasons. Thus, according to a report released in 2018 by the Utah Department of Health, 95.6% of K-12 children are adequately immunized against measles.

"When individuals are not vaccinated, the likelihood of catching the disease is high," Sheffield said. "You must have a high level of protection to prevent an outbreak."

So far this year, 465 people in America have been infected, according to the CDC. In 2018, 372 people were infected. and the largest epidemic since the eradication of the disease in the United States occurred in 2014, when 667 cases were reported.

The last measles outbreak in Utah took place in 2015, after some of them traveled to Disneyland California, where the disease had spread to many communities and countries.

It is too early to tell if the highly contagious respiratory disease has spread during recent spring break trips, and the Utah Department of Health reported no cases to Thursday.

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Sheffield said that before 2000, millions of people were infected each year in the world. The MMR vaccine, she said, is "one of the most highly effective vaccines in terms of protection and it lasts a lifetime".

If vaccine exemptions continue to increase throughout Utah, Sheffield said the disease would become a more serious threat, resulting in an increase in the number of hospitalizations, deaths and disabilities. And if this is not reason enough to be vaccinated, she said, the public cost of tracking cases and quarantining their contacts with exposure to the disease can be extraordinary.