Measles cases in Kansas have doubled to 23, while a new outbreak in Ohio has sickened 10 people. The outbreaks are linked to cases in Texas and New Mexico, which have seen over 370 cases combined.
In Kansas, the outbreak started with a single case in Stevens County on March 13 and has since spread to three additional counties: Haskell, Gray, and Kiowa. Most of the cases (18) involve people under the age of 18.
Health officials in Ohio have identified a single case in Ashtabula County, which has now spread to nine others. The state’s low vaccination rate is contributing to the outbreak. According to CDC data, only 89% of kindergarteners in Ohio were vaccinated against measles last year.
Experts warn that the outbreak could last for months and potentially threaten the nation’s progress on eliminating local spread of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles. They point to communities with low vaccination rates as potential hotspots for future outbreaks.
“We’re disappointed but not surprised” by the new cases in Ohio, said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Director of the Ohio Department of Health. “This disease can be very serious, even deadly, but it is almost entirely avoidable by being properly vaccinated.”
The CDC has reported over 370 cases combined across Texas and New Mexico. The Oklahoma outbreak associated with these states has seen nine cases.
Public health experts say that if unvaccinated communities are exposed to measles outbreaks, the disease could endure for a year and threaten the nation’s progress on eliminating local spread of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/measles-kansas-ohio-mmr-vaccination-new-mexico-texas-569474272df9baaad1f6d73462ebe92a