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VANCOUVER, Washington – A measles outbreak near Portland has injured 35 people in Oregon and Washington, and 11 more are suspected.
Thirty-one patients had not been vaccinated against measles and the status of the other four infected persons was unknown. A child was hospitalized.
Public health officials struggling to contain the highly contagious virus said the epidemic was a prime example of why immunization against childhood diseases was essential.
Measles was eradicated in the United States after the development of a safe and cheap vaccine in 1963, but in recent years, epidemics from New York to California have left hundreds of people sick.
The vaccination rate in the region is 78%, which is below average and makes it more difficult to control the epidemic.
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