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US health experts warned Wednesday that measles has returned to the country in recent years, particularly in communities that refuse vaccination and obtain waivers for religious or personal reasons.
Six outbreaks of measles have been reported since January 1 in the states of Washington, Colorado and New York, leaving 159 people affected by the disease.
Since 2000, between 50 and several hundred cases have been recorded each year, when this highly contagious disease was declared eradicated at the beginning of the century in the United States.
This return is "unacceptable," said Wednesday Anthony Faucy, director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, during a speech to the US Congress. "We have to go back to zero," he said.
The measles virus is one of the most contagious. He can stay at the same place until two hours after the departure of the infected person.
Most outbreaks of measles in the United States begin when the virus gets into the body of a person returning from a trip abroad, as the disease is still very active in many countries.
Then it spreads to people who have not received a vaccine, who tend to live close to each other.
"Some groups of people have doubts about vaccines," said Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
In the last five years, 12 out of 26 epidemics (more than five patients) have reported themselves in "closely related" groups, such as the Somali community of Minnesota in 2017 or the orthodox Jewish community in the Brooklyn neighborhood of New York. last year. (02-27-2019)
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