Measles Outbreak Could Take Months To Contain Because Its Epicenter Is In Anti-Vaccination Hot Spot, Health Officials Warn
Clark County, Wash. has a vaccination rate of 78 percent, well below the level necessary to protect those with compromised immune systems or who can’t get vaccinated because of medical issues or because they are too young. Health officials say the outbreak is a textbook example of why vaccinations are needed.
The Associated Press:
Officials Urge Vaccinations Amid Northwest Measles Outbreak
Public health officials scrambling to contain a measles outbreak in the U.S. Northwest warned people to vaccinate their children Monday and worried that it could take months to contain the highly contagious viral illness due to a lower-than-normal vaccination rate at the epicenter of the crisis. The outbreak near Portland has sickened 35 people in Oregon and Washington since Jan. 1, with 11 more cases suspected. Most of the patients are children under 10, and one child has been hospitalized. (Flaccus, 1/28)
CNN:
The Most Common Questions About Measles, Answered
Measles, the highly contagious and previously eliminated viral illness, has been spreading in communities across the United States in recent weeks, with Washington declaring a state of emergency last week and New York reporting in 2018 its second largest outbreak over the past two decades. As the cases increase in these communities, we sit down with Dr. Julia S. Sammons, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and medical director of the Department of Infection Prevention and Control at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, to talk about some of the most common questions about the illness. (Bracho-Sanchez, 1/28)
The Oregonian:
OMSI Added As Possible Exposure Site As Measles Outbreak Reaches 35
One more unvaccinated child has measles, according to Clark County Public Health. The Monday announcement brings the total count of people infected with measles up to 35 -- the majority of whom are children. Public health officials also identified eight new locations where people might have been exposed to the measles virus and included two daycare centers. The virus is passed through the air and can linger in an isolated space for up to two hours. (Harbarger, 1/28)
PBS NewsHour:
Washington State’s Measles Outbreak Coincides With Low Rates Of Immunization
Washington state is experiencing an outbreak of measles, with 35 confirmed cases in a single county. The disease's flare-up is reinforcing concerns about insufficient immunization in some communities. (Sreenivasan, 1/28)
Seattle Times:
Amid Measles Outbreak, Legislation Proposed To Ban Vaccine Exemptions
As measles cases continue to rise in Washington, state lawmakers have proposed legislation that would ban exemptions for the disease’s vaccine on a philosophical or personal basis. As of Monday afternoon, 35 cases of measles, which was eradicated in 1963 after introduction of a vaccine, had been confirmed in Clark County, with 25 of those being in children under the age of 10, according to Clark County Public Health. Thirty-one of those cases were in people that were not immunized, while the other four have yet to be verified. (Goldstein-Street, 1/28)
Meanwhile, in Missouri —
KCUR:
Low Vaccination Rates Among Missouri Teens, According To Report
When it comes to vaccinating adolescents, Missouri ranks among the worst in the nation. The report from the nonprofit United Health Foundation ranks Missouri 48th in the U.S. for overall adolescent vaccinations. Doctors say the pattern may be linked to a more widespread trend of “vaccine hesitancy” among parents in the U.S. Compared to the rest of the U.S., a lower percentage of teenagers in Missouri received three common vaccinations: human papillomavirus, meningococcus and TDAP – which prevents tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. (Farzan, 1/28)
