Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia report first measles cases of 2025
Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia have all reported their first measles cases in 2025, and they say all three patients' cases are linked to international travel.
The most recently announced case in northwest Virginia is a child in the 0 to 4-year age range who had recently traveled internationally, according to the state's health department. Officials did not clarify if the child was vaccinated against the virus.
'This first case of measles in Virginia this year is a reminder of how easily this highly contagious disease can spread, particularly with international travel,' said state epidemiologist Laurie Forlano. 'Vaccination remains our best defense against measles and is safe and highly effective at protecting people and preventing outbreaks.'
The Virginia Department of Health identified two Kaiser Permanente medical centers in Woodbridge and Fredericksburg as areas of potential exposure, adding that officials are working to help identify those exposed to the illness.
The Louisiana case is an adult from the southeast of the state who was not vaccinated against measles, according to the Department of Health. The patient received treatment at a hospital and is in isolation, where they will remain until no longer infectious.
'The LDH Office of Public Health is working to identify and notify those who have come into contact with the infected individual,' the department said.
The Missouri measles case involves a child 'associated with recent international travel' visiting Taney County, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said. The child's age and vaccination status is not clear at this time.
'There is no indication of widespread exposure as this person was diagnosed soon after arrival to Taney County,' the department said in an update. 'Exposure is believed to be limited, and known contacts have been identified and contacted.'
These cases come amid the largest measles outbreak the U.S. has faced in six years. Even given the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has remained relatively silent on the public health threat, providing just weekly updates on its website and sending an alert to doctors last month.
Earlier this month, the Texas Department of State Health Services said the measles toll in the state rose to 481 confirmed cases, including six young children at a day care center in Lubbock. Fifty-six people have been hospitalized in the area since the disease started spreading in late January.
The CDC sent 2,000 doses of the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine to Texas health officials at their request, but hasn't held a news briefing about the illness since 2019, when two large outbreaks in New York threatened to reverse the United States' status of having eliminated the virus.
Before this year, the United States had not had a measles death in a decade, and a child had not died of measles since 2003.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Nassau County Exec Bruce Blakeman's shocking move throws wrench in Hochul's hospital ‘takeover'
Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman refused to nominate anyone to Nassau University Medical Center's board — saying in a surprise announcement Tuesday he was protesting Gov. Kathy Hochul's 'illegal' takeover of the hospital. Blakeman, a Republican, was set to announce his picks for the NUMC board of directors after at least 10 executives resigned in protest to New York state's takeover of the facility — but instead said he will not be naming anybody to the Democratic governor's 'puppet board.' 'The state blatantly passed a law, which is illegal, to take over Nassau University Medical Center with the sole interest in closing the hospital as we know it,' Blakeman told reporters at a press conference outside the hospital. He called NUMC 'one of the finest medical facilities in the United States' and said he won't stand for state officials shutting it down. The state has denied allegations that it plans to shut down the hospital or convert it into a mental or behavioral health facility. But a 2024 letter from the state Department of Health, which was obtained by The Post, said the agency determined that the only way for the hospital to be fiscally sustainable is to cut staff and multiple departments and convert to a behavioral health facility. The letter was signed by Hochul. Blakeman blasted Hochul and state officials, accusing them of bringing on a financial crisis. 'The state has defunded this hospital with the intent to take it over and make this bogus claim that there is a financial crisis,' Blakeman said. Former NUMC chairman Matthew Bruderman has filed a lawsuit accusing the state of systematically defunding the hospital in a convoluted scheme. The allegations sparked a federal investigation. 'Now the state, without any transition plan, without any coordination whatsoever, has taken this power grab, and let's be clear, this is nothing more than a cover-up,' Blakeman said, citing the allegations. NUMC said they've turned around the fiscal disaster since new leadership under Blakeman took the reins and is now on track to profit $11 million this year without cutting any jobs or departments — despite being in the hole hundreds of millions of dollars just a few years ago. Blakeman and hospital staff said the state provided $180 million in subsidies to the hospital in 2021 but has provided no aid in 2024 and 2025 — claims Hochul's office denied. 'We want the state to fund this hospital as they've done before, and this hospital has done a great job, the turnaround of this hospital the last four years has been remarkable because of the people standing behind me,' he said of the medical staff surrounding him. 'Instead of being partners, they want us to be puppets. That ain't happening.' Gordon Tepper, the governor's Long Island spokesperson, called Blakeman's remarks 'ridiculous.' 'The board's restructuring is the best possible news for anyone who relies on NUMC,' he told The Post. 'There's been gross mismanagement at the hospital for years under the County's watch which has forced this desperately needed intervention.' A day after the 10 executives announced their resignation from the board last week, Hochul named former head of Hofstra University Stuart Rabinowitz to helm NUMC's board, along with three other new appointees, the governor's office announced. Hochul chooses the chair and gets six picks in total on the hospital's new board, including one recommended by the Assembly speaker and another recommended by the head of the state Senate. Two were to be appointed by Blakeman while the Nassau County Board of Legislators gets three picks for the board: two from the GOP majority and one from the dem minority. A legislature source told The Post that the GOP majority plans on following Blakeman's decision and not appointing anybody to the board. The Democrats meanwhile, slammed Blakeman's decision as a ''blatant refusal to do his job' and said they plan to move forward with their nomination. 'We intend to make our appointment to the NUMC board because we follow the law and put patients before politics,' Democratic Nassau County Legislator Seth Koslow said. 'His administration drove NUMC into financial and operational chaos. Now the state is stepping in to stop the bleeding, and instead of helping, he's walking off the field,' he added.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
2 new measles cases announced in Colorado: Exposure locations, current number of cases
DENVER (KDVR) — Two new measles cases have been announced in Colorado, this time in El Paso and Arapahoe counties. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in the El Paso County case, a child under the age of 5 years old has a confirmed case of measles after traveling with family to Ontario, Canada, where there is an ongoing measles outbreak. The child has one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, CDPHE said. Measles outbreaks in Michigan and Pennsylvania end, while Texas logs just 4 new cases The second case involves an unvaccinated Arapahoe County adult. The person was at Denver International Airport on Tuesday, May 13, which is during the exposure period from a Turkish Airlines passenger who flew while infectious and landed at DIA. This brings the total number of measles cases to 14 in the state, with Arapahoe, Denver and El Paso counties each having four cases, and Pueblo and Archuleta counties each having one. Here are the possible exposure locations for measles from the newly announced cases. Anyone who was there should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after exposure and avoid public gatherings or high-risk settings. Location Date/time When symptoms may develop Powers Pointe Urgent Care5607 Barnes RoadColorado Springs, CO 80917 Tuesday, June 39:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Through June 24 HCA HealthONE Aurora (Medical Center of Aurora) Emergency Department1501 S. Potomac CO 80012 Thursday, June 54:55 – 10:05 p.m. Through June 26 Safeway1200 S. Buckley RoadAurora, CO 80017 Friday, June 64 – 6:15 p.m. Through June 27 St. Francis Medical Center Emergency Department6001 E. Woodmen RoadColorado Springs, CO 80923 Saturday, June 79:30 – 10:50 a.m. Through June 28 UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital Emergency Department12605 E. 16th CO 80045 Saturday, June 72 – 4:10 p.m. Through June 28 There are further exposure locations in Aurora, Colorado Springs, Denver, Evergreen, Glendale, Grand Junction, Greenwood Village and Windsor. All locations and time frames have been listed on CDPHE's website here. Anyone who was at the above locations during the exposure window and develops symptoms should immediately contact their health provider by phone. If you do not have a provider, call urgent care or an emergency department and explain your measles exposure. Calling ahead helps limit further exposures. Measles vaccination rates drop after COVID-19 pandemic in counties across the US Measles is highly contagious and can spread through the air via coughs and sneezes. The disease can remain in the air up to two hours after the person has left. The best way to protect yourself and your loved ones is through the MMR vaccine, according to CDPHE. Two doses of the MMR vaccination are about 97% effective in preventing measles, CDPHE has repeatedly stated. 'In rare cases, people who are vaccinated can still get measles, but their symptoms are usually milder, and they are less likely to spread it to others,' CDPHE explained in a release. About 93.7% of Colorado children have the MMR vaccination, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella. That's below the goal threshold of 95% for community immunity. Coloradans can check their own or their child's immunization records through the state's Immunization Information System public portal. If your provider has not reported vaccines, some records may be incomplete. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
A northern Arizona county is reporting 4 measles cases, the state's first in 2025
Health officials in Navajo County in northern Arizona say they've confirmed four measles cases, which are the first cases of the highly contagious respiratory virus in Arizona in 2025. The announcement from the Navajo County Public Health Services District June 9 came amid a national surge of measles, with 1,168 cases reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as of June 6, which is more than four times the number reported during all of 2024. Compounding the threat for Arizonans are recent cases in five neighboring states: California, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. The four cases in Navajo County involve people who were not vaccinated against measles. The four were infected from a single source and have a recent history of international travel, health district officials say. Public health officials are trying to identify locations where exposure may have happened and are in the process of identifying people who may have been exposed, the Navajo County health district said in a written statement. Officials estimate the "potential exposure" dates were between May 17 and May 28 and said anyone who may have been exposed should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after exposure. Symptoms include a high fever of more than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, a cough, runny nose, red or watery eyes and a rash beginning at the head and spreading downward A measles outbreak that began earlier this year in Texas killed two unvaccinated school-age children, resulted in 94 hospitalizations and totaled 742 cases overall. In a related outbreak, New Mexico health officials as of June 3 reported 81 measles cases and the death of one adult who tested positive for measles. Arizona is particularly vulnerable to a measles outbreak because community protection has been waning as an increasing number of parents and guardians are choosing not to vaccinate their children with the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine, known as MMR. There likely are several reasons for the decline, including problems accessing the vaccine, vaccine skepticism and a lack of scientifically accurate education about the risks and benefits of immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles. Measles can affect people of any age and cause an array of complications, including deafness, blindness and brain inflammation, in addition to death. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective in protecting against measles infection, evidence shows. Reach health care reporter Stephanie Innes at or follow her on X: @stephanieinnes. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona confirms 4 measles cases amid a national surge
