Due to increasing illnesses, the CDC is cautioning doctors to stay vigilant for measles cases.
There have been 23 confirmed cases of measles between the first of December, 2023, and January 23, 2024; seven of these cases were reported by foreign tourists.
Additionally, there were two outbreaks that each included five or more illnesses.
So far, the Washington, D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey regions have all reported cases. Most of these incidents occurred among measles-eligible children and adolescents who had not received the vaccine.
Most measles cases in the United States occur when partly vaccinated or unvaccinated Americans travel abroad, get the disease, and then spread it to other unvaccinated people when they get back home, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the federal health service, cases in the United States are rising, which describes the situation as a growing global threat.
Medical personnel should isolate a patient with suspected measles for a minimum of four days after the onset of symptoms and should inform their local or state health authority, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Then, the patient should undergo testing. Close contacts should be given post-exposure prophylaxis, and everyone in their circle who hasn’t had a measles vaccine in a while should get one.
A person sick with measles can, on average, infect up to ten close contacts if they are not vaccinated or use a mask, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some measles complications, like rashes, are mild, but others, such as viral sepsis, pneumonia, or swollen brain, are serious.
A person is considered immune to measles if they have either had the disease in the past or have had the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination twice.
When given at the recommended intervals, the measles vaccination has a 93% success rate in protecting against measles infection. The efficacy after two dosages is 97%.
