Measles has been confirmed in a Los Angeles County resident who lately returned from Texas, a state that’s within the midst of an outbreak of the extremely infectious illness, well being officers mentioned Friday.
The outbreak in Texas is likely one of the worst seen within the U.S. in years, and it has claimed the lives of two school-aged youngsters who have been unvaccinated and had no underlying medical circumstances, in line with a report printed Thursday within the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
That is the third measles case reported by the L.A. County Division of Public Well being to this point this 12 months. In March, a county resident who had lately traveled by means of Los Angeles Worldwide Airport on a China Airways flight from Taipei, Taiwan, examined constructive. And in February, a case was reported in a non-L.A. County resident who arrived on a Korean Air flight from Seoul.
“The traveler was not infectious through the time of journey,” the county Division of Public Well being mentioned in an announcement Friday relating to the latest case.
Officers are working to establish individuals who could have been uncovered whereas the contaminated particular person was contagious with the virus.
Signs of measles embrace a excessive fever — above 101 levels — cough, runny nostril, purple and watery eyes and a rash, which often begins on the face and spreads to the remainder of the physique.
Measles spreads simply by means of the air and may stay airborne and on surfaces for hours, even after an infectious particular person has left the room.
Individuals can unfold measles to others from 4 days earlier than the illness’s telltale rash seems by means of 4 days afterward, in line with the CDC. Individuals who haven’t been immunized towards measles, both by means of vaccination or prior an infection, are prone to getting sick between seven and 21 days after publicity.
Two doses of the measles vaccine are 97% efficient towards an infection, well being officers say.
CDC officers have recognized 10 measles outbreaks nationwide. The biggest started in a close-knit group with low vaccination charges in Texas’ Gaines County, adjoining to New Mexico.
That outbreak has since unfold to New Mexico and Oklahoma, and is suspected to be linked to extra circumstances in Kansas, the CDC report mentioned. A rising outbreak within the Mexican state of Chihuahua was additionally reported after a resident fell in poor health after visiting Gaines County.
Up to now this 12 months, 884 measles circumstances have been reported nationwide, “the second-highest annual case depend in 25 years,” in line with the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Throughout all of 2024, 285 measles circumstances have been reported nationally.
Of the circumstances reported to this point this 12 months, the median affected person age was 8. About one-third of these contaminated have been youthful than 5, the report mentioned. Amongst all measles sufferers, 96% weren’t vaccinated or had an unknown vaccination standing.
Nationally, 85 measles sufferers this 12 months have needed to be hospitalized. Apart from one, all of them have been both unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination standing. Texas officers have mentioned the reason for the state’s newest measles dying was measles pulmonary failure.
Many of the measles circumstances reported to this point nationally this 12 months are tied to close-knit communities with low vaccination protection, the CDC mentioned.
Earlier than Friday’s announcement, 9 measles circumstances had been reported in California this 12 months, with circumstances additionally reported in Orange, Riverside, Fresno, San Mateo, Placer and Tuolumne counties, in line with the California Division of Public Well being.
In 2024, California confirmed 15 circumstances of measles. In 2023, the whole was solely 4.
California’s worst measles outbreak in latest reminiscence occurred between December 2014 and April 2015. Centered at Disneyland, the outbreak resulted in about 131 Californians getting contaminated. Individuals from six different states, Mexico and Canada have been additionally sickened, in accordance to the California Division of Public Well being.
Following that outbreak, California lawmakers strengthened childhood vaccination necessities for schoolchildren. For the 2023-24 tutorial 12 months, 96.2% of California’s kindergartners have been vaccinated towards measles, mumps and rubella.
That’s barely down from the 96.5% seen the 12 months prior. However it stays above the degrees recorded earlier than the Disneyland measles outbreak, which have been lower than 94%.
Public well being specialists say they purpose for a 95% measles vaccination fee to protect towards outbreaks.
Amid the continuing outbreaks, pediatricians have stepped up efforts to rebut misinformation about each the illness and the vaccine.
“The measles vaccine is protected and efficient,” the American Academy of Pediatrics mentioned in a latest assertion, rebutting what they referred to as “wellness influencers and anti-vaccine advocates” who they are saying “falsely assert” that getting vaccinated “is as harmful as contracting measles itself.”
“Intensive analysis demonstrates that the MMR vaccine is protected and considerably reduces the danger of contracting measles, a illness that may result in extreme problems and dying,” the pediatrics group mentioned.
