CDC monitoring nationwide rise in measles cases
Federal health officials are monitoring a rise in measles cases in multiple states across the country and advising Americans to check their vaccination status.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory to health care providers states that since Dec. 1, 2023, they have been warned of 23 confirmed U.S. cases of measles, including “seven direct importations of measles by international travelers and two outbreaks with more than five cases each.”
“Most of these cases were among children and adolescents who had not received a measles-containing vaccine, even if eligible,” the CDC said.
Suspects arrested in deadly fentanyl overdose of Riverside man
Here in Southern California, local physicians are urging residents to stay on top of their vaccines.
“Nine out of ten people who are susceptible to measles will get measles,” said Dr. Suman Radhakrishna, director of infectious disease at Dignity Health. “So, check to make sure that vaccinations are up to date, [especially] people who live in crowded situations like dorms or homeless encampments.”
While no measles cases have been reported in California as of Wednesday, a measles outbreak is being tracked in Philadelphia, where nine cases have been confirmed, five of them children.
According to a release from the City of Philadelphia’s Health Department, the cases are clustered around five different hospitals in and around the city.
Further south, the Virginia Department of Health issued a release warning travelers that they could have possibly been exposed to measles if they passed through Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan National Airport on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4, respectively.
Video captures Carnival cruise ship rescuing 2 men stranded in Gulf of Mexico
Health experts warn that measles can cause serious health complications, especially in pregnant women and children younger than 5 years old.
More common symptoms of measles include a high fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis and a rash which typically appears three to five days after symptoms begin, the CDC says.
The highly contagious disease is spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
“It is so contagious that if one person has it, up to nine out of ten people around [them] will also become infected if they are not protected,” the CDC said.
Despite being declared “eliminated” by health officials in 2000, measles is still prevalent in other parts of the world, and due to its high rate of transmission, can be easy to bring back to the states if traveling abroad, the CDC warns.
The top five countries with the most measles outbreaks are Yemen, India, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Russia, according to federal health officials.
More information from the CDC regarding measles vaccinations can be found here.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
