News
Measles was nearly eradicated. It’s back.
It’s back here but it never left other countries.
Measles can cause serious illness and permanent damage.
“More measles cases have been reported in the first seven months of this year than have been reported in any seven-month period since 1996, the CDC said today.
“The 131 cases reported from January 1 through July 31 are twice the yearly average for the past seven years and are a significant public health concern, said Anne Schuchat, M.D., director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
“Dr. Schuchat, who made her comments during a noon press briefing, said many of the cases involved home-schooled children whose parents object to vaccinations for “religious or philosophical reasons.”
“The outbreak this year is particularly worrisome, said Jane Seward, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., director of the CDC’s division of viral diseases, because the CDC had declared measles eliminated in 2000.
“But measles continues to be a major public health problem in foreign countries. In fact, 99 of the 131 cases were epidemiologically linked to outbreaks in foreign countries, although only 17 cases were considered direct imports occurring in Americans who traveled abroad or in foreign nationals visiting the U.S., according to a report in the August 22 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.”
Source: Medpage Today, August 21, 2008
Citation Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report, August 21, 2008