A deadly measles outbreak in the American southwest has claimed a second life, with an unvaccinated adult succumbing to the disease in New Mexico. This fatality follows a week of tragic losses, as an unvaccinated child from Texas became the first US death from the disease since 2015.
As of Friday, 198 cases of measles were reported in Texas, with nearly 30 new cases emerging over the past few days. Neighboring New Mexico saw its number of cases triple to 30 during the same period. The outbreak is also affecting other states and Canada, with cases reported in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington.
Measles, which was once declared eliminated in the US in 2000, has seen a resurgence due to low vaccination rates. One in every five measles cases requires hospitalization, and about three in every 1,000 cases result in death. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is monitoring the outbreak, which began in a rural Mennonite community in Texas with low vaccination rates.
The CDC has also reported a spike in measles cases in Canada, with over 200 cases confirmed as of Thursday. The country’s Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam attributed the surge to travelers who were exposed to the disease abroad.
The importance of vaccination cannot be overstated. The MMR vaccine is 97% effective and protects against not only measles but also mumps and rubella. As US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr noted, vaccines contribute to community immunity, protecting vulnerable populations from severe illness or death.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2nzyjgrwxo