In a year of measles outbreaks throughout the US, Georgia and Oregon are the latest states to report measles cases. Yesterday, the Georgia Department of Public Health recorded its 5th case of the year. Health officials are conducting contact tracing to determine who may have been exposed to the infected person while they were contagious. In Oregon 4 additional cases were reported, bringing the state’s total to 30. It is officially the state’s worst measles outbreak since 1991. Two of the patients suffered illnesses severe enough to require hospitalization. All of the patents are unvaccinated. Most of the sick individuals were children (12 children were under 10 years old and 11 kids were between 11-19 years of age). Young children are particularly vulnerable to measles if they are not up to date on their MMR vaccine. This year the US has seen the most measles cases since 2019. The upward trend in cases reflects a global resurgence in the highly contagious disease. Falling vaccination rates have contributed significantly to the long-term rise in cases.
Full Story: HealthDay
