Nationwide Highlights:
· The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that as of February 27th, there were 164 cases of measles reported in nine jurisdictions in Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Rhode Island, and Texas:
o 95% of these cases occurred in individuals that were unvaccinated.
o 20% (32 of 164) of the cases required hospitalization.
· Disease Background:
o Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness, which can cause life-threatening illness to anyone who is not protected against the virus.
o During a measles outbreak, about one in five people who get sick will need hospital care and one in 20 will develop pneumonia.
o Measles can be transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes.
o People who are infected will begin to have symptoms within a week or two after being exposed:
ü Early symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.
ü A few days later, the telltale rash breaks out as flat, red spots on the face and then spreads down the neck and trunk to the rest of the body.
o A person is contagious about four days before the rash appears to four days after. People who could have measles should stay home during that period.
o The best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, which is primarily administered as the combination measles-mumps-rubella or MMR vaccine:
ü Two doses of the MMR vaccine prevent more than 97% of measles infections.
ü A small number of vaccinated people can occasionally develop measles. In these cases, the symptoms are generally milder, and they are less likely to spread the disease to other people.
ü It is recommended that children receive one dose of MMR at 12 to 15 months of age and another at 4 to 6 years.
Texas Highlights:
· As of March 4th, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is reporting 159 cases:
o 80 of these cases occurred in individuals who were unvaccinated.
o The county most impacted (107 cases) is in Gaines County.
o 22 patients have been hospitalized.
· Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities.
· On February 26th, DSHS reported the first death of a school-aged child who was not vaccinated.
· CDC as of March 4th has deployed an Epi-Aid team composed of Epidemic Intelligence Service officers to support State and local officials.
New Mexico Highlights:
· As of March 4th, the New Mexico Department of Health is reported 9 cases in Lea County. This area borders Gaines County, TX.
Sources:
· CDC Measles Cases and Outbreaks Website
· New Mexico Measles Resource Hub
· Texas announces first death in measles outbreak
· CDC Twitter Page
· Texas Department of State Health Services Twitter Page
· American Medical Association Twitter Page
· PolitiFact Twitter Page
Resources
No, a vaccine campaign did not cause the Gaines County, Texas, measles case spike
Be on Alert for Travel-Related Measles
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