Northwest North Dakota county confirms 4 measles cases
May 5—WILLISTON — North Dakota's first measles case since 2011 has quickly multiplied, reaching a total of four as of Monday afternoon, May 5.
The first case was reported Friday,
when the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services said an unvaccinated child from Williams County contracted the virus, likely during an out-of-state visit.
In a Monday website update, the Department of Health and Human Services said there were "four current cases of measles confirmed in unvaccinated individuals in Williams County."
Ages and other demographic details about the three newly infected people were not shared. A dashboard on the Department of Health and Human Services website indicates that information may become available when there are five or more cases in the state.
Measles is a contagious viral illness that can lead to serious and deadly symptoms in young children and those with compromised immune systems, the Department of Health and Human Services said. Symptoms include a fever, cough, runny nose, eye irritation and a body-wide rash.
Aside from the single case in 2011, North Dakota had not had any reported measles infections since before 2000, when the disease was eliminated from the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials attribute recent measles outbreaks across the nation to declining vaccination rates.
"Vaccination remains the most effective defense against measles," the Department of Health and Human Services said. "Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccination is safer than risking measles illness. The MMR vaccine has been safely used in the United States since 1973."
MMR vaccination rates declined in North Dakota kindergartners from 95% in 2019-2020 to 90% this school year,
the North Dakota News Cooperative reported.
As of Friday, May 2, the CDC confirmed 935 measles cases nationwide, up from 884 cases a week before. According to CDC data, 121 people have been hospitalized nationwide, with three deaths confirmed.
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