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January 25, 2019
The measles outbreaks in Washington state and New York state could spread.
This week, two more confirmed measles cases brought the total outbreak to 118 in Rockland County, New York. In Clark County, Washington, near Portland, health officials on Tuesday announced five new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 23 and seven suspects.
The Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) report that an outbreak is also underway in Brooklyn, New York, where 62 cases have been verified. The state of New Jersey recently said that an end to a measles outbreak in which 33 incidents had been identified.
Unvaccinated people face the greatest risk
"The epidemic is greater than in the past, in the Northwest, and I would not be too surprised if it spread," says Richard Leman, MD, a public health physician with the Oregon Health Authority. "People who are clearly at risk of infection are those who have never been vaccinated against measles."
To date, Clark County Public Health has found that 20 people with the disease have not been immunized. In New York and New Jersey, measles mainly affected Jewish Orthodox communities who resisted getting the vaccine, according to the CDC.
William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor of preventive medicine and health policy at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, estimates that measles immunization is 98% effective in protecting people of this disease.
Due to the widespread use of the vaccine, measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000. But the CDC confirmed that 349 people had measles in 26 states and Washington, DC in 2018. It is was the second largest number of annual cases. since 2000.
"Measles is being reintroduced only because children are not 100% vaccinated," says Dr. Schaffner. According to the World Health Organization, unvaccinated young children are at greatest risk of contracting measles and its complications, including death.
The CDC recommends that children be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella, starting with the first dose between 12 and 15 months, then with a second dose between 4 and 6 years of age. The health agency says most people born before 1957 are not. should be vaccinated because they have probably been exposed to the virus and are already immunized.
"But it's never too late to get vaccinated," says Dr. Leman. "So if you do not remember having the disease and have never been vaccinated, it would not hurt to get vaccinated."
The Seattle health authorities announced on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 that a man of about fifty years who had traveled to Clark County had been hospitalized for measles.
A highly contagious virus
According to the CDC, people usually catch measles abroad in areas where the vaccination rate is low and then spread the disease to pockets of unvaccinated people. On the east coast, travelers reported the infection of Israel, which had experienced a significant epidemic.
"If the measles virus is introduced from abroad into unvaccinated populations, it will spread very widely, because measles is probably the most contagious virus we know," Schaffner said.
Because the disease is so easily transmitted, Clark County Health officials have warned the public to stay on the alert for alerting when they have visited places where the infected persons went. These places include a Costco, an IKEA, Portland Airport and the basketball stadium where Portland Trail Blazers play.
"If a person was present in one of those places where a person infected with measles was present and developed symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose or itchy red eyes, we wish that 39 she calls a health care provider to inform her that she has been exposed, "says Leman. "That way, they can get a medical badessment and they will not necessarily be exposed to a lot of other people."
Leman also warns people not to underestimate the severity of the infection. The virus can cause pneumonia (infection of the lungs) and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). Up to 1 in 20 children with measles contract pneumonia, the leading cause of measles death in young children.
"Some people say," Why would you want to get vaccinated against something that is not worse than colds? "Said Leman. "I can tell you, anyone who says that has never had measles."
Schaffner adds: "It's not a joke. It's not like a cold for three days. You can feel absolutely miserable for 10 days to two weeks. "
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