Measles outbreak: What to know about the disease, epidemic in Washington, Oregon

A measles outbreak in Washington State has led officials in the state's health department to trigger a public safety emergency.

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According to the Clark County Public Health Department (Washington), 36 confirmed cases and 12 suspected cases are linked to the outbreak that is occurring in a county where one of the vaccination rates is reported. one of the lowest in the state, according to the Oregonian.

The outbreak has intensified the debate over the growing number of licensed immunization exemptions for school-aged children across the country, and whether these exemptions could lead to disease outbreaks. considered as eliminated.

"It's alarming," Douglas J. Opel, a pediatrician at Seattle Children's Hospital, told the Washington Post. "Whenever we face an epidemic for which we have an effective and safe vaccine, it should trigger a red flag."

According to The Oregonian, state data show that almost 8% of Clark County children have benefited from a vaccination exemption during the 2017-2018 school year. The MMR vaccine – vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella – is one of those vaccinations.

On Tuesday, Georgian officials confirmed three cases of measles in the same subway family of Atlanta. People who said that the virus had not been vaccinated.

What is measles and what are the symptoms? Here is an overview of the disease.

What is measles?

Measles is a viral infection.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms include:

• High fever
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red and watery eyes
• Tiny white spots may appear in the mouth after two or three days
• A red rash that covers the body follows

How does it spread?

Measles is very contagious. Measles is spread by coughing and sneezing. It can stay in the air until two hours after a person infected with the virus coughs or sneezes. Public health officials in Washington said there were up to 50 places where infected people said they had visited during the incubation period of the disease. Places include schools, daycares, churches, a Portland Trail Blazers game, Seattle Airport and a Walmart store.

Can he be warned?

The measles vaccine, given in two doses, is 97% effective against the virus.

What does herd immunity mean and why do people talk about it?

When people are vaccinated, the community in which they live is protected from epidemics. Not only are you less likely to contract an illness if you have been vaccinated, but you are also less likely to come into contact with an infectious disease if other people have been vaccinated.

When a large part of the community has been vaccinated, the risk of an epidemic becomes practically nil. When a community reaches this number, it is called group immunity.

Herd immunity is different for each disease.

Will measles kill you?

Although it is a miserable disease, most people recover. Complications may include pneumonia and swelling of the brain.

© 2019 Cox Media Group.