United States: The number of cases linked to measles has been increasing across the country. Recently, New Hampshire and Vermont have recently reported an increase in the number of cases linked to measles.
According to the local health authorities, the exposure has been linked to an international traveler. The traveler recently visited to Hanover, NH, in late June. Along with this, the infected individual also travelled to Hanover and the Dartmouth College campus on June 20-22.
The persons were tested positive after returning to their home country. According to the reports, the case was reported by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Division of Public Health Services (DPHS) on July 9. The infected person was not vaccinated against the infection, according to idse.net.
The whereabouts of the infected person were shared by the DHHS and DPHS, and has also warned the people who visited the locations which were exposed by the person during specified dates and time frames.
The health experts have also asked the unvaccinated people to get vaccinated against the infection. Special attention was given at the people who have weakened immune systems or infants who have not received the jabs against the infection.
While addressing the concern, MD and the state epidemiologist for the New Hampshire DHHS – Benjamin Chan, stated, “Measles is a highly contagious but preventable disease. The two-dose measles vaccine provides lifelong protection for most people, and it is the best protection against measles and complications of infection. Anybody who is not vaccinated is strongly encouraged to talk with their healthcare provider about completing the vaccine series,” as per idse.net.
In addition to this, the Vermont Department of Health has confirmed a measles case among a Vermont resident who also caught the infection while travelling to Hanover. Reportedly, it is the second measles-linked case of current year 2024.
Measles and its roots in the US
According to the official data, as many as 203 measles cases have been reported in 27 US states and Washington DC as of August 2024. The 27 infected states of the US are Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York state, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Along with this, the United States have been reported around 13 outbreaks and as of total around 63 percent cases were linked to these outbreaks. As per the agency, if compared to 2023, the US reported four (4) outbreaks linked to the disease which resulted in 49 percent of the cases, as reported by idse.net.
The majority of the cases, i.e., 40 percent, were reported among the younger population (children aged below five years). Around 50 percent of the cases sought medical attention from hospitals, and about 60 percent of the cases were among children aged five or less. More than 85 percent of people were unvaccinated, or their vaccination status was unknown.
Besides this, CDC has revealed that 9 percent of the people had received one dose of MMR vaccine and 5% had two doses.