With the recent multi-state outbreak of measles, local officials are urging residents to make sure they are up to date on their immunizations.
In the past month, measles has been reported in 102 people across 14 states after a December outbreak in California’s Disneyland amusement park.
Most of the reported cases were in unvaccinated patients, according to the CDC.
“Before the measles vaccination program, which began in 1963, three to four million people in the U.S. got measles each year, and 400 to 500 died,” said Suffolk County Legislator William Spencer in a press release.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease that causes additional complications in about three in ten people, which can include pneumonia and ear infections.
In addition to the disease’s fatality rate, measles can also cause long-term complications, such as the rare and fatal brain disorder subacute scelrosing panencephalitis (SSPE), which can develop several years after a person has fully recovered from measles.
Although measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, it is still endemic in other countries, and outbreaks can still occur when unvaccinated groups come into contact with an imported measles virus, according to the CDC.
That’s why vaccinations are still so important, says Spencer.
“Widespread use of measles vaccine in the U.S. has led to a greater than 99 percent reduction in measles cases compared with the pre-vaccine era,” he said. “Immunizations are safe, effective and necessary for public health.”
One in 12 children, however, are not receiving the first dose of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine on time. “That makes them vulnerable to get measles and spread measles,” said CDC director Anne Schuchat in a measles telebriefing last week.
“When measles gets into communities of unvaccinated people, outbreaks are more likely to occur,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone in a press release. “We are advising everyone in Suffolk County to do their part in keeping their families and community safe by making sure they and their children have received all recommended immunizations.”
Suffolk County has not had a case of measles since 2008, but three cases have been reported in New York since the Disneyland outbreak, including two in New York City, according to the New York State Department of Health.
Vaccinations are especially valuable for those who are unable to get them – such as infants, pregnant women or those whose immune systems are badly compromised – because, if a large enough portion of the community is immunized against a contagious disease, such as measles, those who are unable to receive vaccinations will still be protected.
This concept is known as “herd immunity.”
“It’s not just young children that need to be up to date on their vaccines,” Schuchat said in the telebriefing. “We are starting to see more adults get measles and spread it. For adults out there, if you’re not sure if you have had measles vaccine or not, or if you have ever had measles, we urge you to contact your doctor or nurse and get vaccinated.
“Let’s work together to keep these numbers and to keep measles from returning to plague our communities.”
