Rise in measles cases across U.S. cause for concern
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — A virus once considered primarily a childhood illness is returning with a vengeance.
Measles cases are spiking in the U.S., but so far none have been reported in Connecticut.
However, the number of cases across America are sounding an alarm from our state's Department of Health.
Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, noted it is an anomaly that there have been approximately 800 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. so far this year.
Those cases are showing up in 24 states across America, including in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Ohio.
Health experts said 96% of people with the virus were unvaccinated, and most were children.
'Over a third have been in school-age children, and then about a third have been in children under the age of five,' Juthani said. 'And what we really want to do is keep our children protected.'
While Connecticut remains free of the virus for now, cases are showing up in nearby states like New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus, especially when there is close contact. Symptoms include fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis, and common cold symptoms.
Immunization is the best defense against the virus according to health experts. It is even more important when traveling to areas where cases have recently spiked, inside or outside the U.S.
'44 of the 48 imported cases were among U.S. residents who traveled internationally,' Juthani said. 'We know that measles is primarily an infection of childhood, but it does not mean that older adults cannot get it as well.'
People born between 1963 and 1967 are being advised to get a shot of the MMR vaccine. According to health department, the vaccine used at that time was slightly weaker than what's being administered right now.
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