85 Cases Of Measles Outbreak Recorded In Central Ohio

Published: 2023-02-12
Views: 473
Author: Editorial
Published in: Health

The Columbus Public Health authorities has announced the end of a measles outbreak in central Ohio that had affected 85 children.

The measles infection outbreak, which was initially noted in November 2022, mostly resulted from a lack of vaccination in the neighborhood and spread among kids who had not received all recommended vaccinations.

36 of the kids were hospitalized, but none of them died. All but five of the 85 instances were children aged 5 or under.

Measles cases in central Ohio according to CNN, surfaced aggressively in November 2022 and the first few days of December 2022, but the rate of new cases appearing to decline over the winter holidays.

Before calling the outbreak over, local health officials waited 42 days, or two measles virus incubation cycles, after which no new cases were detected.

Health commissioner for the city of Columbus,  Dr. Mysheika Roberts said Health officials fought the outbreak by “sounding the alarm,” including being transparent about the state of the outbreak, informing the public about how easily the measles virus can spread and promoting the importance of getting young children vaccinated against the virus.

In the United States, more than 90% of children have been vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella by age 2, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children should receive the measles, mumps and rubella – known as the MMR – vaccine in two doses: the first between 12 months and 15 months of age and a second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is about 93% effective at preventing measles if a person comes into contact with the virus. Two doses are about 97% effective.

Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, and since then, most cases in the US have emerged in communities with low rates of vaccination against the virus.

Even if a disease is eliminated, outbreaks can still occur if an unvaccinated person travels to or from a country where the disease is still common, becomes infected and brings it back to the United States, introducing the virus into a community. That traveler can transmit measles to anyone who is unvaccinated.

In a statement given by CDC on their website it says “While we expect importations of measles cases into the United States to continue, the risk for measles for the majority of the population would still remain low,”. “That is because most people in the United States are vaccinated against measles.”