Latest news with #MMR
Arab Times
4 hours ago
- Health
- Arab Times
CDC warns of measles risk at airports and on flights, urges vaccination
NEW YORK, May 31: The CDC is urging unvaccinated Americans to cancel upcoming flights amid rising concerns over measles transmission on airplanes. The agency has upgraded its travel warning after discovering that the highly contagious virus is spreading aboard US flights. Previously, the CDC advised travelers to "consider making alternative travel plans" if they were unvaccinated. The new guidance now recommends postponing trips altogether until vaccination can be obtained. An estimated 10 percent of US adults—around 25 million people—may lack immunity to measles, either because they never received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine or because their immunity has waned over time. Recent measles cases have been reported at major US airports amid a resurgence linked to low vaccination rates. After investigating dozens of infectious passengers on flights, the CDC confirmed at least one instance of measles transmission during air travel. Consequently, the agency now recommends all US travelers be fully vaccinated before any international trip. Additionally, doctors are encouraged to provide extra measles vaccines to domestic travelers headed to Texas, where more than 700 infections have been reported this year. In its latest update released Wednesday, the CDC warned that measles can be contracted in various travel settings, including airports, train stations, public transportation, tourist attractions, and crowded events. Since early 2025, the CDC has received 62 reports of measles cases linked to air travel within or into the US. An investigation of 50 infected passengers confirmed at least one case of virus spread on a flight, typically between passengers seated close together. The latest alert was issued after three passengers on the same Turkish Airlines flight to Denver International Airport tested positive for measles, including one vaccinated adult. Although precise data on unvaccinated US adults is limited, historical estimates indicate about 10 percent may lack immunity. This figure translates to roughly 25 million adults out of a population of 258 million potentially vulnerable to measles. Most confirmed cases—around 90 percent—are linked to domestic outbreaks rather than infections acquired abroad. Measles symptoms usually appear 7 to 21 days after exposure and include a blotchy rash, fever, cough, and runny nose. The virus spreads through airborne droplets from coughs and sneezes, which can linger in the air for up to two hours. Measles poses particular dangers to young children; the CDC reports that one in 20 unvaccinated infected children develop pneumonia, and one in 1,000 suffer fatal brain swelling.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
CDC warns travelers of higher measles risk
May 30 (UPI) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning people about the risks of contracting measles while traveling. The federal health agency updated its guidance Wednesday after reports from those flying within the United States contracting the highly contagious virus. The number of cases in the United States is the highest since 2000 after the debut of the vaccination program. Of the 1,088 measles cases reported so far this year, 96% were unvaccinated. "Travelers can catch measles in many travel settings including travel hubs like airports and train stations, on public transportation like airplanes and trains, at tourist attractions, and at large, crowded events," the agency said. About 90% of confirmed cases are linked to outbreaks within the United States, and not travel outside the country, the CDC said. Cases have been reported in all but 18 states this year, the CDC said Friday. New York and New York City are listed separately among the 33 jurisdictions listed. Two more states -- Iowa and Nebraska -- reported their first confirmed cases this week. Texas, where the first outbreak was reported in January, leads with 225 infections. There were 285 cases in 2024 with the highest since 2000 in 2019 with 1,274. Three deaths have been reported. Of the cases, 30% are children under 5, 37% 5-19 years old, 32% 20 years and older. The CDC has received at least 62 reports of travelers contagious with the highly transmissible virus while flying into the U.S. or within the country, a spokesperson for the CDC told CBS News in a statement. The agency investigated 50 of those travelers, and determined that measles spread during air travel in at least one of those situations, the spokesperson said. The CDC connected confirmed cases of measles among airline passengers sitting near each other. Unvaccinated U.S. residents are infecting those on aircraft, the CDC said. "International travelers are at risk of measles if they have not either been fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to departure OR had measles in the past," the CDC said. The agency urges all international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine, according to CDC's recommendations. These include a dose for infants 6-11 months old, and at least 28 days apart for anyone 12 months old or older without adequate evidence of immunity. Also in the update, the CDC dropped its list of countries facing "high incidence" of measles. The agency now warns only that the virus is "an ongoing risk around the world, and more international travelers are getting infected." A total of 14 outbreaks have been reported this year, with 16 through the entire 2024. An outbreak is considered three or more related cases. Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000 after the debut of the vaccination program, meaning there is no measles spreading within the country and new cases are only found when someone contracts measles abroad and returns to the country. Before then, nearly every child got measles by the time they were 15. The measles vaccine was first licensed for public use in 1963, according to the WHO. The first MMR vaccine was administered in 1971.
UPI
14 hours ago
- Health
- UPI
CDC warns travelers of higher measles risk
A total of 14 outbreaks have been reported this year, with 16 through the entire 2024. An outbreak is considered three or more related cases. Photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew Lotz/U.S. Air Force May 30 (UPI) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning people about the risks of contracting measles while traveling. The federal health agency updated its guidance Wednesday after reports from those flying within the United States contracting the highly contagious virus. The number of cases in the United States is the highest since 2000 after the debut of the vaccination program. Of the 1,088 measles cases reported so far this year, 96% were unvaccinated. "Travelers can catch measles in many travel settings including travel hubs like airports and train stations, on public transportation like airplanes and trains, at tourist attractions, and at large, crowded events," the agency said. About 90% of confirmed cases are linked to outbreaks within the United States, and not travel outside the country, the CDC said. Cases have been reported in all but 18 states this year, the CDC said Friday. New York and New York City are listed separately among the 33 jurisdictions listed. Two more states -- Iowa and Nebraska -- reported their first confirmed cases this week. Texas, where the first outbreak was reported in January, leads with 225 infections. There were 285 cases in 2024 with the highest since 2000 in 2019 with 1,274. Three deaths have been reported. Of the cases, 30% are children under 5, 37% 5-19 years old, 32% 20 years and older. The CDC has received at least 62 reports of travelers contagious with the highly transmissible virus while flying into the U.S. or within the country, a spokesperson for the CDC told CBS News in a statement. The agency investigated 50 of those travelers, and determined that measles spread during air travel in at least one of those situations, the spokesperson said. The CDC connected confirmed cases of measles among airline passengers sitting near each other. Unvaccinated U.S. residents are infecting those on aircraft, the CDC said. "International travelers are at risk of measles if they have not either been fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to departure OR had measles in the past," the CDC said. The agency urges all international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine, according to CDC's recommendations. These include a dose for infants 6-11 months old, and at least 28 days apart for anyone 12 months old or older without adequate evidence of immunity. Also in the update, the CDC dropped its list of countries facing "high incidence" of measles. The agency now warns only that the virus is "an ongoing risk around the world, and more international travelers are getting infected." A total of 14 outbreaks have been reported this year, with 16 through the entire 2024. An outbreak is considered three or more related cases. Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000 after the debut of the vaccination program, meaning there is no measles spreading within the country and new cases are only found when someone contracts measles abroad and returns to the country. Before then, nearly every child got measles by the time they were 15. The measles vaccine was first licensed for public use in 1963, according to the WHO. The first MMR vaccine was administered in 1971.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Measles outbreak hasn't hit Utah yet, but health officials are bracing for when it does
For years, Utah's early childhood vaccination rates have been declining. (Getty Images) Amid national outbreaks, a confirmed measles case hasn't yet hit Utah — but as nearby states report cases, the highly contagious virus could be closing in. Meanwhile, Utah's childhood vaccination rates have been on a steady decline for years. Local and state public health officials say it's likely a matter of time before the Beehive State gets its first measles case, and they're bracing for if or when it happens. 'We're always looking at cases in other states,' Rich Lakin, immunization program manager at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, told Utah News Dispatch this week. 'We've been ready for a long time, but so far so good. We haven't had any cases here in Utah.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX But to be prepared, Lakin said state public health officials are working with local health departments, clinics, and physicians to ensure they know how to quickly identify a measles case and properly handle it when someone comes in for treatment. Nic Rupp, spokesperson for the Salt Lake County Health Department, said county health officials 'monitor the status nationwide every day.' 'We will likely see a case locally as infections get closer geographically and as people travel more this summer,' Rupp said. In the meantime, he said the Salt Lake County Health Department is encouraging populations with low rates for the MMR vaccine (which protects against measles, mumps and rubella) to get up to date on their shots as part of efforts to minimize the spread of the virus 'when a case does show up here.' The last reported measles infection in Utah was reported in March 2023, according to state health officials. 'A person who was not vaccinated traveled outside the U.S. and brought measles back to Utah,' the state's website says. 'We do not believe anyone else in Utah got measles from this person.' Before that 2023 case, three people in Utah had measles in February 2017. So far this year Utah's neighboring state of Colorado has confirmed five cases, according to NBC News' outbreak tracker. New Mexico has seen 79 cases, 14 of which have been reported in the last four weeks. In Texas, 753 cases have been confirmed, with 60 reported in the last four weeks. NM measles cases rise to 78, with possible exposures at Santa Fe and Albuquerque Walmarts As of Thursday, a total of 1,088 confirmed measles cases have been reported in 2025 from 33 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those include Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Fourteen outbreaks have been reported so far in 2025, and 90% of those confirmed cases (977 of 1,088) have been outbreak associated, according to the CDC. For comparison, 16 outbreaks were reported during 2024, and 69% of cases (198 of 285) were outbreak associated. For several years now, Utah health officials have tracked a decline in the state's early childhood MMR vaccinations. According to the state's immunization dashboard, the percentage of Utah children that received at least one dose of the MRR vaccine at 24 months old has dropped from 94.5% of those born in 2019 to 89.8% of those born in 2021. 'It has dropped,' Lakin said. He pointed out that the region, which also includes the states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, has gone from a 98.3% for the birth year of 2019 'all the way down to 86.4%.' 'So the region as a whole is not doing very well,' he said. That concerns public health officials because travelers tend to visit nearby states, 'anytime you get cases in other states, then it increases our chances of getting a measles case here in Utah.' The ideal vaccination rate to reach herd immunity protection against measles is 95%, he said. Young children are also most at risk if they contract the virus. 'The thing that would concern us the most would be for an adult to get measles, and then you pass it to a 6-month-old that hasn't been vaccinated yet,' he said. The state's dashboard is currently using the latest available data from 2023, Lakin said, but state officials are working to update it soon with 2024 data. Health officials expect that Utah's immunization rate has continued to decline. 'The expectation is, yes, it is continuing to decline,' he said, though he added, 'by how much, I do not know yet.' Poll: Belief in false measles claims correlated with lower vaccination rates State 2023 data shows public school districts tend to have higher immunization rates than charter schools. In Salt Lake County, Canyons, Granite, Jordan, Murray and Salt Lake City school districts, all had more than 95% immunization rates for the second dose of MMR vaccine in K-12 schools, compared to 91.8% in charter schools. However, according to that data, only 92.3% of kindergartners in Salt Lake County are up to date on measles vaccination — below the ideal 95% herd immunity threshold. Last year, Axios reported Utah has one of the nation's highest rates of childhood vaccine waivers. Religious exemptions accounted for the fastest-rising share of exemptions since before the pandemic, accounting for 13% of Utah's waivers last year, up from 5.9% in 2019, according to a state report released last year. The vast majority, however, are attributed to 'personal belief,' accounting for 84.9% of the waivers in the 2023 to 2024 school year. Given the troubling pattern of declining vaccination rates across Utah and other states amid deepening distrust of institutions in the U.S., Lakin acknowledged its 'difficult' to encourage people to vaccinate their children, but he said health officials will continue to try to ensure Utahns get accurate information. 'Look at the history,' he said, adding that back in the 1800s, 'if your child lived to be an adult, you were very happy. Because they either got smallpox or they got measles or they got mumps, or they got rubella, tetanus, or diphtheria. … I mean, think of all these vaccine preventable diseases that we just don't see anymore, and it's because of vaccinations.' Nonpartisan poll finds 'remarkably low' trust in federal health agencies Lakin said 'unfortunately people are losing sight of what these vaccinations are doing and getting the wrong information in such a fast-paced world that we live in now.' 'They're not getting the right information anymore,' he said. 'That's what our continued message is — that vaccinations have been one of the greatest public health achievements we have seen, and we want to continue to keep people safe through vaccinations.' In a news release issued back in February — after Texas announced the first death of a school-aged child from measles — the Salt Lake County Health Department urged people to ensure they're protected. 'For decades, the MMR vaccine has been proven safe and effective,' said Dorothy Adams, executive director of the Salt Lake County Health Department. 'Ensuring now that you and your loved ones are adequately protected will help prevent serious illness in our community if this current multistate measles outbreak spreads to Utah.' Measles is one of the most contagious viruses known, and it can be so easily spread that people who are not immune have a 90% chance of catching it if they go near an infected person. Someone with measles can spread it to others even before they know they are ill, and the virus can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person has left the area. Salt Lake County health officials said the best protection against measles is to be immunized with two doses of the MMR vaccine, which can prevent more than 97% of measles infections. In the remaining 3% of cases — when a fully vaccinated person catches measles — the symptoms are milder, the illness is shorter, and the infected person is less likely to spread it. Unvaccinated people, including children who are too young to be vaccinated, are more likely to experience severe complications from a measles infection. Measles vaccine recommendations vary based on age and vaccination history. Here's what public health experts recommend: Children should receive two doses of measles vaccine: one dose at 12 to 15 months of age and another at 4 to 6 years. Adults born before 1957 generally do not need to be vaccinated because they are likely already immune to measles due to widespread infection and illness before the measles vaccine became available in 1963. Adults who were vaccinated before 1968 should have a second dose because the vaccine used from 1963 to 1967 was less effective than the current vaccine, which became available in 1968. Adults who were vaccinated in 1968 or later are considered fully protected whether they have one or two doses, though certain higher risk groups (college students, health care workers, international travelers) should have two doses. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Glasgow Times
14 hours ago
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow Measles outbreak prompts rise in vaccine clinics
The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is urging people to ensure they are fully vaccinated against the disease after several recent cases were confirmed in the Govanhill area. Additional drop-in vaccination clinics have been created to prevent further spread of the virus. Read more: Glasgow mum tells of son's measles vaccination experience Measles is a highly infectious disease that can quickly spread among people who have not received both doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine. The virus can lead to serious illness and long-term complications and can often lead to hospitalisation. Symptoms most commonly appear 10–12 days after initial exposure, including high temperature, a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, coughing, and sore, watery eyes. Small white spots may appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips after a few days, followed by a rash that typically starts on the face or behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body. The rash may appear brown or red on lighter skin and can be harder to detect on darker skin tones. Helen Benson, consultant in public health at NHSGGC, said: "Measles is preventable with two doses of the MMR vaccine. "We are offering weekly drop-in clinics for both adults and children and would encourage anyone who has missed one or both doses, to come along. "The vaccine is free, completely safe, and this is a great opportunity to catch up with any doses you may have missed to protect yourself and your family. "Interpreters are available, and we welcome anyone who needs extra support. "If you're unsure at all, you're welcome to pop-in for a chat with our immunisation team who will happily answer any questions that you may have too." NHSGGC MMR drop-in vaccination clinics will be available for adults at the community wing in the Shields Medical Practice on Tuesday June 10 from 9am to 3.30pm. Read more: People report 'summer flu is here' as bouts of illness sweeps through UK Vaccinations will also be available at Govanhill Health Centre Every Tuesday evening from June 17 to September 23 from 5pm to 7pm, and Govanhill Health Centre. The centre will also offer Saturday clinics from 10am to 4pm on June 28, July 26, August 23, and September 20. Children aged 12 months to 6 years will be able to attend drop-ins at Govanhill Clinic every Tuesday from 9:00am – 10:45am, 11:20am – 1:05pm, and 2:00pm – 3:30pm. If you are unsure of your MMR vaccination status or would like to find out about how to catch up with any missed MMR doses in your area, you can visit the NHS Inform page on MMR vaccination for further information.
