The Measles Outbreaks Aren’t Going Away Soon, CDC Warns – Gizmodo
The surging measles outbreak, which has already sickened hundreds and hospitalized dozens in Texas and New Mexico, will get worse before it gets better. In a recent alert sent to health care providers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that it expects the deadly virus to continue to spread rapidly.
The CDC’s warning was provided in a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory released late last week. As of Tuesday, Texas health officials have documented 223 measles cases in the state, with 29 hospitalized and one dead as a result. Measles has also been reported in other states this year, including New Mexico, New York, Alaska, and Florida.
The Texas measles outbreak has been ongoing since mid-January. It’s largely affected people living in Mennonite communities in rural western Texas, many of whom are unvaccinated. In late February, an unvaccinated “school-aged” child in Texas died from the preventable viral disease—the first such U.S. death reported in a decade. The outbreak has also spread to neighboring regions of New Mexico, with 33 reported cases so far. In early March, New Mexico health officials reported that a recently deceased resident tested positive for measles, though an investigation into this person’s official cause of death is ongoing.
Because measles is highly contagious, it can quickly spread through communities with relatively low vaccination rates. Roughly 94% of a population has to be vaccinated against measles to prevent widespread transmission, a concept known as herd immunity. Very early on into the outbreak, local health officials expressed concerns that hundreds had already been infected, and that tally has likely gotten bigger since. Even a month ago, the outbreak was the largest seen in the state in nearly 30 years.
