“Increased propagation means that measles in the community could be an omnipresent threat, not just confined to epidemics,” said Peter Chin-Hong, MD, specialist in infectious diseases and professor of medicine at the University of California in San Francisco. “If the epidemic of measles lasts more than 12 months – which resembles west of Texas and New Mexico – it will be very likely that we will no longer consider measles eliminated in the United States, because prolonged transmission of measles will continue, fueled by this very large epidemic.”
Dr. Chin-Hong notes that elimination (eradication) in the context of measles does not mean that the virus has completely disappeared, but that the transmission is at levels low enough not to be a major public health threat.
The Southwest remains the center, but the problem is large
Texas and New Mexico nearby and Oklahoma represent more than 80% of infected people.
Most of the infections with measures nationwide have been among young people. Children under the age of 5 represent 30% of diseases, while young people aged 5 to 19 represent 38%.
Measles can be fatal
Measles can cause serious complications, such as pneumonia and swelling of the brain (encephalitis) which may require hospitalization. About 13% of infected people this year needed hospital care. Among this group, more than 75% were under 20 years of age.
A drop in “worrying” vaccination
The authors of the CDC report pointed out that measles epidemics are becoming more frequent, especially in very united communities with low vaccination coverage.
“We have seen a disturbing scheme of decrease in childhood routine vaccinations,” said the principal author, Nathan Lo, MD, PHD, assistant professor of medical specialized in infectious diseases at Stanford Medicine in California, in a press release. “People are looking around and say,” We don’t see these diseases. Why should we vaccinate against them? There is general fatigue with vaccines.
Immunization offers the best protection
The measles vaccine is very effective and safe, and because there are no antiviral drugs to treat measles, immunization is the best protection, according to Chin-Hong.
Teenagers and adults are invited to check with their healthcare professional to ensure that they are up to date on their ROR vaccination.
Most people who have received two doses of the ROR vaccine do not need a measles boost, but some specific people can benefit, such as those who have undergone certain cancer treatments and have lost some immunity. Adults born between 1963 and 1967 should check with their health care provider to ensure that they have immunity, as a formulation of the measles vaccine administered during this period is considered less effective.
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