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Measles, an extremely contagious and potentially deadly disease that was virtually eradicated in the United States nine years ago, has reached its highest level in 25 years. So far this year, there are about 700 cases in the United States, including in Maryland.
These are all states that report measles cases: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Mbadachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York , Oregon, Texas, Tennessee and Washington.
In Maryland, there have been four cases so far in 2019, compared to one case in 2017 and one case in 2018.
Here are the dates and places where people may have been exposed in Maryland since state health authorities confirmed the first case of measles on Friday, April 5th. All locations are in Pikesville:
- The 4000 Old Court Rd in Pikesville from 9:15 am to 12:30 pm Tuesday, April 16
- 4000 Old Court Road, Sunday, April 14 from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm
- 4000 Old Court Road, Tuesday, April 2 from 9 am to 1 pm
- 4:30 pm Reisterstown Road, Market Maven, Sunday, April 14 from 11:45 am to 2:30 pm
- 201 Reisterstown Road at Seven Mile Market on Sunday, April 14 from 12:45 to 3:15 pm.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), by 2018, there are eight months left before measles in the United States, which recorded 963 cases.
This year, there were 695 cases in 22 states, the CDC reported Wednesday afternoon – against 626 reported Monday.
Of the new cases, 61 occurred in New York State, where epidemics occurred among unvaccinated members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn and Rockland County. About three-quarters of measles cases in the United States are found in these communities, and public health officials feared that cases would arise among these groups after Pesach's rallies; Pbadover ends on April 27 and it takes 10 to 12 days for the symptoms of measles to manifest.
The largest concentrations of measles cases are in New York, Washington, and Michigan. Outbreaks are linked to travelers who brought back measles from countries such as Israel, Ukraine and the Philippines, where large outbreaks of measles occur, according to the CDC, which recommends measles immunization before leaving. abroad.
It spreads to people who are not vaccinated with coughs, sneezes and oral secretions. Experts say that it can stay in the air until two o'clock.
For most people, measles causes fever, a runny nose, a cough and a rash that covers the body. In a small fraction of cases, complications such as pneumonia and dangerous swelling of the brain may occur. The disease is especially dangerous for babies and young children.
RELATED: 4th case of measles in Maryland confirmed
Nobody died of measles this year, but the CDC warns that for every 1,000 children with measles, one or two will die.
Since the CDC declared measles eradicated in 2000, there have been three measles-related deaths in the United States, including the most recent in 2015.
Why measles is back
The measles vaccine has been available since the 1960s and is considered safe and highly effective.
Before the vaccine became available, measles had a catastrophic record. In 1958, the worst year for measles in history, more than 552 people died. There were more than 763,000 cases of measles that year.
The MMR vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella (also called German measles) has been used for almost 50 years in the United States. Measles and rubella have been completely eradicated and mumps cases have decreased by 99% as a result of the widespread use of the vaccine.
Measles has begun to make a comeback in recent years due to the dissemination of widely denied information on vaccine safety. In 2014, there were 667 cases of measles in the United States.
The CDC recommends the vaccine to all people over one year old, with the exception of people with the disease in their childhood, because those who have had measles are immune.
"Large, well-designed studies have confirmed the safety and efficacy of the MMR vaccine and demonstrated that vaccine administration was not badociated with the development of autism", said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the center of the Food and Drug Administration. for evaluation and research of organic products. He said the figures released this week were troubling, especially in light of the World Health Organization's statement earlier this year that hesitation toward vaccines is one of the top 10 threats to global health.
The MMR vaccine is 97% effective in preventing measles and rubella if administered according to CDC guidelines, which advocate two doses starting at 1 year of age. There are usually mild and short-term side effects, such as a rash or fever.
"If parents are concerned about these side effects, we recommend that they talk to their health care providers about the benefits and risks of the vaccines, as well as the potential consequences of non-vaccination against disease," he said. said Marks.
Rubella, once a common disease that mainly affected young children, causes fever, rashes and, especially in women, arthritis. Rubella during pregnancy can also lead to conbad anomalies
Dr. William Schaffner, a vaccine expert from Vanderbilt University, told AP that the trend in vaccine abandonment is "alarming" not just because measles is dangerous in self, but also because it could mean that children are not vaccinated against other preventable diseases.
According to federal health data, one in four people who contract measles in the United States will need to be hospitalized.
"We can not say enough, overwhelming scientific evidence shows that vaccines are among the most effective and safest interventions to both prevent disease and protect public health," said Marks. "Vaccinating against measles, mumps and rubella not only protects us and our children, it also protects people who can not be vaccinated, including children whose immune system is compromised due to an illness and its treatment, such as cancer. "
"This is of great concern when we see preventable diseases such as measles or mumps reappear in the United States and threaten our communities," said Marks in a statement. "We wish to highlight our continued confidence in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines that prevent, in some cases, almost eradicating preventable diseases."
Marks drew attention to the CDC's designation of National Infant Immunization Week, April 27 to May 4.
At UCLA in California, 127 students and staff members were quarantined to control the spread of the disease. At California State University in Los Angeles, 200 campus library staff, including some students, were quarantined to avoid contact with others. California public health officials were also trying to track over 1,500 people potentially exposed to measles after a person with the disease went to the Los Angeles International Airport.
By Beth Dalbey, Editor-in-Chief of Patch and Elizabeth Janney
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