measles symptoms •

Top New York lawmaker urges CDC for free measles vaccination shots

A top New York lawmaker on Sunday said that the federal government should provide the citizens with free measles vaccine and booster shot in a bid to check the further spread of the recent outbreak of the contagious disease.

Sen. Chuck Schumer urged the federal health body, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to provide free shots against measles and other dangerous infections at schools as well as health clinics in order to contain the spread.

“We need to do everything possible to prevent the measles from spreading before it becomes endemic. Surprisingly, a significant number of people are not vaccinated,” Schumer said.

At least 102 confirmed cases of measles have been reported so far this year in 15 different American states, including New York.

Most of these reported cases of measles are linked to the outbreak that triggered from California’s Disneyland, where an infected person from outside the country had probably visited in December.

Last Thursday, five babies under one–year-old were diagnosed with measles at an Illinois day care center.

New York reported the case of a student, who had contracted measles during his visit to Germany, boarding an Amtrak train at Penn Station to go to Rhinebeck.

Schumer expressed concern over the rising cases of the dangerous disease, saying “Unfortunately, it appears like every day we hear of a new victim of measles.”

Measles is highly contagious disease. Some of its common symtoms include coughing, eye infection, fever, rashes, vomiting, ear infections. In some cases, it can even cause deafness and death.

It is noteworthy, the serious disease was practically eliminated in the US 12 years ago.

The disease is of more concerning the health experts as well as the lawmakers as the myths of the parents, which is based on their religious beliefs, are stopping them from getting their children vaccinated. Moreover, a debunked report that claimed the vaccination shots are linked to autism has also made the parents to opt the shots out.

52 cases of measles linked to Disneyland outbreak confirmed

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The total number of confirmed cases of measles, which has been linked to the outbreak in Disneyland in California, has reached 52 as the contagious disease has spread across the US border into Mexico.

According to the health officials, a 22-month-old Mexican girl child was diagnosed with measles linked to the outbreak that began at Disney California Adventure Park or Disneyland in middle of December last year.

The officials said over four dozen Americans spread across four states, Washington, Utah, Colorado and California, have contracted measles in connection to the outbreak in Disneyland in California.

The health experts have warned against the current pattern of the spread of the measles outbreak, saying it could continue for long.

The outbreak of measles initially began in people who visited the Disneyland in California between December 17 and 20.

“Nothing could have been done to prevent this outbreak given that measles is present in many parts of the world, and there are susceptible people in the US. The only way to prevent measles is through immunization, and this outbreak is a reminder that measles is just a plane ride away from the United States,” according to a statement by the California Department of Public Health.

The health officials strictly recommended the Americans to get vaccinated, saying many of the sick people have not been vaccinated.

Measles, a highly contagious airborne viral disease, can prove to be fatal in some cases if the patient is malnourished. Generally, the red rashes begin from the face and then further spreads downward in the body. Some of the common symptoms of measles include runny nose, cough, red eyes, fever and red rashes on the skin.

California confirms seven measles cases linked to Disneyland, Utah two

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The US seems to be gradually getting in the clutch of measles as California has reported seven confirmed cases of the airborne illness, while Utah has confirmed two.

According to the health officials of both the states, the patients have likely contracted measles during their trips to Disney theme parks in California in December.

Three more people in California are suspected of infected with the contagious disease.

The California’s Department of Public Health confirmed that all the confirmed or suspected patients had visited Disneyland or Disney California Adventure during their trip between December 15 and December 20.

The health officials believe all the victims of measles have contracted the airborne illness at one of the parks in the Disneyland.

Meanwhile, the health experts said that the detected patients can remain infectious for nine days. Hence, preventive measures need to taken to check its spread.

The seven people with confirmed cases in California belong to five different areas of the state and belong to the age group 8 months to 21-year-old. The officials also said that out of the seven patients, six were not vaccinated against the disease.

Dr. Ron Chapman, director of California Department of Public Health, strictly recommended the residents to get themselves vaccinated against measles and also urged them to visit their doctor in case any symptoms appear.

“The best way to prevent measles and its spread is to get vaccinated,” Chapman said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Disney officials declined to have received any reports of their staff contracting measles. Park officials also said that they are working with the health department in order to provide any necessary information and take preventive measures to check the spread.

Measles, a highly contagious virus, lives in the nose and throat mucus of the infected person. It spreads through sneezing and coughing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Some of the common symptoms include: cough, runny nose, fever and red eyes and red rashes (that generally appears on the face first and gradually spreads to the rest of the body).

Pennsylvania health department rules out potential measles threat

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The officials of Pennsylvania health department have refuted any threat of measles outbreak at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia and a nearby pharmacy.

The state health department on Friday issued a statement over a suspected case saying that the person, who was suspected to have measles early this week, was tested negative for the highly contagious disease.

“Based on initial information received from those involved in the treatment of the individual and based on initial investigation by the department, it was believed this was a likely case of measles and public notification was made out of an abundance of caution,” said Pennsylvania health secretary Michael Wolf.

The identity of the person is still not revealed.

Wolf confirmed that the southeastern Pennsylvania is not facing any public health threat for measles.

The health department had issued the public alert for measles exposure as 20 measles outbreaks have been reported nationwide over the past year despite the fact that measles is a vaccine-preventable disease.

The main concern is about the outbreak as the health experts say the symptoms for the highly contagious disease take up to two weeks to start appearing.

“The infected droplets and secretions can remain contagious on surfaces for up to two hours,” the health department said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports have clearly showed 610 measles case spread across 20 different outbreaks last year. The year 2014 alone witnessed more than triple the cases that have ever been reported in any single year since 2001. The CDC said that a major outbreak in Philippines may be partially responsible for it.

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