We will soon pass the last record high number of measles cases – 963 cases – set in 1994.
With 839 cases as of mid-April, it’s hard to believe that only 55 cases were reported during all of 2012!
Who’s Getting Measles?
So what do we know about the people who are getting measles?
More importantly, the thing that most parents want to know – are their families at risk?
We know that of the 839 cases right now:
- 442 are in Brooklyn among the Orthodox Jewish community, where only 4% of cases have been fully vaccinated
- 125 are in Rockland County, New York, among the Orthodox Jewish community, where only 3% of cases have been fully vaccinated
- 78 were in the Pacific Northwest Outbreak (Washington and Oregon), where none were fully immunized – (ended)
- 43 are in Michigan, mostly among Oakland County’s Orthodox Jewish community, triggered by a man who had recently traveled from New York
So just over 80% of cases are associated with four outbreaks, one of which has been declared over, and mostly among children and adults who were intentionally not vaccinated.
The rest of the 200 cases?
They are spread out in smaller outbreaks in other states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.
Does that mean that you don’t have to worry about measles?
It means that you don’t have to panic about measles.
Get your kids vaccinated and protected, which might include an early dose of MMR, learn the signs and symptoms of measles, and keep up on news of outbreaks in your area.
That should help decrease the risk that they get caught up in an outbreak.
And double check your own vaccine records! Have you had an MMR vaccine? Have you had two doses?
Unfortunately, not everyone can get vaccinated and protected, which is causing some folks to panic. This includes those who are too young to be vaccinated, or fully vaccinated, and those with immune system problems.
That’s not fair.
Let’s stop the outbreaks so we don’t get to the point that measles truly is everywhere and even more high-risk people are put at risk.
More on Who’s Getting Measles
- VAXOPEDIA – What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Measles?
- VAXOPEDIA – What Should You Do If Your Child Might Have Measles
- VAXOPEDIA – How to Avoid Getting Caught up in a Measles Outbreak
- VAXOPEDIA – What’s Your Chance of Getting Measles Right Now?
- VAXOPEDIA – Making America Measly Again
- VAXOPEDIA – Why Haven’t We Eradicated Measles Already?
- VAXOPEDIA – Where Is Measles on the Rise?
- CDC – Measles Cases and Outbreaks
- MMWR – Increase in Measles Cases — United States, January 1–April 26, 2019
- MMWR – Notes from the Field: Measles Outbreaks from Imported Cases in Orthodox Jewish Communities — New York and New Jersey, 2018–2019
- MMWR – Notes from the Field: Community Outbreak of Measles — Clark County, Washington, 2018–2019
- Measles in Washington State
- Oregon measles cases by county, 2019
- NYC Measles Outbreak
- Rockland Measles Outbreak
- ‘Patient zero’ of Michigan measles outbreak thought he was immune because he had it before
- How to put the dangerous anti-vaxx panic in perspective: zoom out
- An Outbreak Spreads Fear: Of Measles, of Ultra-Orthodox Jews, of Anti-Semitism
- For cancer patients, fear of measles has upended daily routines
- ‘I didn’t know I’d expose women and babies to measles’
- To the Parent of the Unvaccinated Child Who Exposed my Family to Measles
- If You Choose Not to Vaccinate Your Child, Understand the Risks and Responsibilities
- One more time: Vaccine refusal endangers everyone, not just the unvaccinated