Massachusetts confirms first case of measles as national epidemic continues to spread

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Massachusetts health officials have confirmed the first case of measles in the state this year, while the epidemic continues to spread in the United States.

The patient, who has not been identified, was diagnosed with infectious disease on Sunday and may have exposed others in the Boston metropolitan area, according to a statement from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

During the infectious period, the person visited several locations, including a Starbucks, Staples, Whole Foods and a Target.

This brings to 16 the total number of states where cases have been confirmed, and public health experts fear that this number will increase further.

The first case of measles in Massachusetts was confirmed in the Boston metropolitan area, bringing to 16 the total number of states involved in the national epidemic.

"The measles virus is currently causing significant national and international measles outbreaks and the lack of vaccination, combined with national and international travel, has resulted in the spread of the disease. "said Dr. Catherine Brown, epidemiologist, in a statement.

"Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself from this disease."

It is not known if the infected patient was vaccinated and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health did not immediately postpone the DailyMail.com comment request.

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 387 cases had been confirmed this year, exceeding the caseload for 2018, or 372 cases.

The total number of cases in 2019 is the second highest since the measles eradication in 2000, which should enable this year to break the record of 667 cases recorded in 2014.

The highly infectious disease has spread among unvaccinated or living in states allowing non-medical exemptions for vaccines.

Cases have been confirmed in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon. in Texas and Washington.

Of these states, six – Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Oregon, Texas and Washington – allow exemptions for philosophical and / or personal beliefs.

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS OF MEASLES?

Most people recover from measles in one or two weeks, but sometimes complications can develop.

Those most at risk are adolescents and adults, babies under one year old and children with weakened immune systems.

Common complications include diarrhea and vomiting, middle ear or eye infections, laryngitis, convulsions caused by fever and lung infections such as pneumonia, bronchitis and croup.

About one in 15 infected children will develop one.

Hepatitis, meningitis and a brain infection called encephalitis are less common complications.

Rare complications include serious eye disorders that can lead to vision loss, heart problems and the nervous system, as well as a deadly brain infection called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. This condition is very rare and only occurs in 25 000 cases.

Having measles during pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight, premature birth, stillbirth or miscarriage.

Source: NHS Choice

Washington and New York, in particular, are struggling to contain the disease.

In January, Washington declared a public health emergency as a result of a measles outbreak that affected 73 people in Clark County and one in King County, where Seattle is located.

Sixty-three of the cases involve residents who have not been vaccinated. Fifty-three cases involve children aged 10 and under.

Meanwhile, in New York, there have been at least 420 confirmed cases in Brooklyn, Queens and Rockland County since October 2018, all in Jewish Orthodox communities.

Last week, Rockland County officials issued a state of emergency barring unvaccinated persons under the age of 18 from visiting public places.

In addition, the county offers free MMR vaccines (measles, mumps, rubella) to residents six months of age and older.

Measles is a highly contagious infection caused by the measles virus.

When a person with measles coughs, sneezes or speaks, infected droplets are sprayed in the air, where other people can inhale them and then become infected.

Symptoms occur between 10 and 14 days after infection and include fever, cough, runny nose and total rash.

For the most part, measles is not life threatening. However, in some cases, people may suffer serious complications, including pneumonia and swelling of the brain.

Once common, the disease is now rare since the introduction of the MMR vaccine in 1963.

The CDC recommends that children receive the first dose between 12 and 15 months and the second dose between four and six years.

The vaccine is effective at about 97%. But, according to the CDC, those who are not vaccinated have a 90% chance of getting measles if they breathe the virus.

Before measles vaccine became available, more than 500,000 cases were diagnosed each year in the United States, resulting in about 500 deaths per year.

A report published in January by the World Health Organization (WHO) said that measles had registered a 30% increase in cases worldwide.

The WHO also revealed that nearly 83,000 people had contracted measles in Europe in 2018, the highest number in a decade.

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