Measles – a deadly childhood disease before vaccines were invented in 1963 – is back.
Health officials in Wisconsin and Illinois are warning the public that one case has been reported in each state.
The Illinois case was found in Cook County, the state’s most populous county, which includes Chicago. In neighboring Wisconsin, measles was reported in a Milwaukee resident who worked in suburban Waukesha County.
As a result, public health experts are now struggling to track down people who may have been exposed to the infectious disease.
The Illinois case occurred in an unvaccinated resident who had been exposed to measles during international travel, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
“The first measles case reported in Illinois since 2019 is a reminder that this disease can be prevented with the latest vaccinations,” said IDPH director Dr. Sameer Vohra in a news release.
“However, as we saw this week, it can still affect those who are not vaccinated. I urge everyone to ensure that they and their family members are up-to-date on the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine and all other age-appropriate immunizations,” he added.
What is measles?
Measles is caused by a virus that spreads easily through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.CDC
Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. People of any age can get measles, but the disease is most common – and deadliest – in children.
Before a vaccine became available in 1963, nearly all children contracted measles by age 15, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and an estimated 3 million to 4 million people in the US were infected each year.
And every year, an estimated 400 to 500 people die from measles, 48,000 are hospitalized and 1,000 cases of encephalitis (brain swelling) are caused by the disease.
Measles was officially declared eradicated from the US in 2000, thanks to a highly effective vaccination program, as well as improved measles control throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Symptoms of measles
A common measles rash is one of the first symptoms. It’s often a red, patchy rash on the face and around the ears, which then spreads down the trunk and legs, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Other symptoms of measles include fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis) and small white spots with a blue center on a red background inside the cheeks (called Koplik’s spots).
As the rash spreads, an infected person’s fever can rise sharply, sometimes to 105 degrees or higher. A person can spread the measles virus to others for about eight days, starting four days before the rash appears and ending when the rash has been present for four days.
The measles virus is most easily spread through airborne droplets when an infected person talks, sneezes or coughs. It can also spread when infected droplets land on a surface and someone touches that surface.
About 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 children infected with measles die from respiratory and neurological complications, according to the CDC.
Measles vaccine
A rash is one of the first symptoms of measles — a red, patchy rash that appears on the face and around the ears, then spreads down the trunk and legs.weerapat1003 – stock.adobe.com
In most cases, the measles vaccine is given to children as a combined measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, or with the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine, known as the measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine (MMRV).
Doctors recommend that all children receive the MMR vaccine twice: once between 12 and 15 months, and a second time between 4 and 6 years (before starting school).
Adults may need the measles vaccine if they do not have proof of immunity and are attending college, traveling outside the US or working in a hospital setting.
Adults born in 1957 or later may need the vaccine if they have not had the vaccine and have never had measles. A person with measles has built up an immune system to fight the infection, and you can’t get measles twice.
Most people born or living in the US before 1957 are immune to measles because they have already had it.
A now-discredited 1998 report attempted to link the measles vaccine to autism. This led to a drop in the number of vaccinated children, which was followed by a sharp increase in measles cases.
A 2023 report in the medical journal the Lancet found that pockets of vaccine hesitancy for measles and other infectious diseases persist, even though the measles vaccine successfully prevented more than 70 million deaths between 1990 and 2019.
Measles treatment
There is no cure for measles after an infected person develops symptoms, so treatment usually focuses on reducing symptoms.
Doctors recommend medication to reduce fever, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen or naproxen.
And giving children a dose of vitamin A can reduce the severity of measles. Other treatments include rest, drinking fluids and avoiding screens and bright lights if they irritate your eyes.
And because the disease spreads easily, people with measles are advised to isolate themselves at home and avoid contact with other people.
Measles outbreak
Despite public health measures and vaccination programs, measles outbreaks still occur.
In February, a small outbreak of measles was linked to unvaccinated people who attended a religious revival at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. At least three cases were linked to the outbreak, and unvaccinated participants were warned to quarantine if they showed any symptoms.
Measles cases are up about 80% worldwide in 2022 compared to 2021, according to Precision Vaccination, and India remains the global leader, with 46,231 measles cases reported over the past year.
The CDC has noted that as of September 29, 29 cases of measles have been reported in 16 US states this year – a figure that does not include cases in Illinois and Wisconsin.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
