State of emergency declared in a measles epidemic in the United States

The state of emergency was declared Friday in the state of Washington, in the western United States, as a result of a measles outbreak that affected more than two dozen people, the majority of whom are children.

The disease was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 but has since returned to imported cases and the rise of the anti-vaccine movement.

"Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease that can be fatal in young children," Washington Governor Jay Inslee said in a statement. "The existence of more than 26 confirmed cases in the state of Washington creates an extreme risk to public health that can quickly spread to other counties."

The outbreak began near Portland, Oregon earlier this year and quickly spread to Clark County and King County, both in Washington State.

Health officials warned that people infected with the disease had visited schools, churches, a dentist's office, a Costco store, an Ikea store and the Portland airport.

The majority of those infected are children, many of whom have not been immunized against the disease, officials said.

They added that the epidemic was still in its infancy because the incubation period of the virus was on average 14 days. Infected persons can transmit measles to other people four days before and four days after the onset of rash.

The highly contagious disease can cause severe diarrhea, pneumonia and vision loss, and can be fatal.

In November, the World Health Organization warned that measles cases worldwide had jumped more than 30% in 2017 compared with the previous year, partly because of unvaccinated children.

© 2019 AFP