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On January 25, Governor Jay Inslee declared the Public Health Emergency in all counties in the state of Washington, where many people (mostly unvaccinated children) were infected with measles. The outbreak is under close surveillance and a person was taken to the hospital.
"Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease that can be fatal in small children," Governor Inslee said in his proclamation. "The existence of 26 confirmed cases in Washington State creates an extreme risk to public health that can quickly spread to other counties."
Since the declaration was made, the number of people infected has increased to 35, including one in King County and 34 in Clark County. Of those in Clark County, 30 are unvaccinated, 24 are under the age of 10, nine are between the ages of 11 and 18, and one is between 19 and 29 years old.
Vaccines help prevent measles perfectly, but some parents choose to put their children and others at risk because of their skepticism about vaccines. Measles can be transmitted by coughing, sneezing and even breathing. The symptoms of measles tend to manifest themselves seven to 21 days after exposure. The disease is contagious about four days before the appearance of the characteristic rash and up to four days after its onset. This means that it is possible that if a person has not been immunized, she could still pbad the infection without knowing it.
County public health officials urge those who believe that their illness has been contracted or that of their child to contact their medical office and schedule a visit. It is essential that no more people are infected and that the epidemic is contained. Both counties have published a list of places where there has been an increased risk of exposure from December 31 to today.
The World Health Organization has included vaccine hesitancy among the top 10 threats that humanity faces. The situation is worrying: 41,000 cases of measles were reported in Europe in the first half of 2018, compared with more than 5,000 in 2016. It is estimated that about 1.5 million deaths could be prevented each year if global vaccination coverage was improved.
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