A measles outbreak in central Ohio has infected 82 patients under the age of 18, with nearly 40% of children, 32, needing to be hospitalized, according to reports.
The outbreak in Franklin County marks the first time a case has been reported in the region in 20 years, Axios reported.
Franklin County’s 82 cases make up the bulk of the 117 reported cases nationwide.
The majority of cases were in babies under 1 to 5 years old who had not yet been vaccinated.
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None of the children in Ohio who allegedly contracted measles had been fully vaccinated.
(Reuters/Hereward Holland)
None of the children had been fully vaccinated against the highly contagious disease, which includes fever, runny nose and rash but can also lead to complications.
“Measles can be serious,” according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. “Children under 5 and adults over 20 are more likely to have complications. Common complications are ear infections and diarrhea. Serious complications include pneumonia and encephalitis.”
A healthcare worker prepares syringes, including a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, for a child’s inoculations at International Community Health Services in Seattle. Officials in the Pacific Northwest say a measles outbreak that sickened several people is over.
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
A child must be at least 1 year old to receive the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine and 28% of those infected were not old enough to receive it.
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The outbreak is believed to have spread following the return to the area of four unvaccinated people from counties where measles is prevalent, Columbus Public Health Commissioner Mysheika Roberts told Axios.
“In the year 2000, measles was declared extirpated from the United States,” Charles Patterson, health commissioner for the Clark County Health District, told The Hill. “Unfortunately we’re starting to see it coming back now and it’s a huge problem due to the reduction in vaccines that are out there.”
A child with measles in Afghanistan during a deadly outbreak in the country this year.
(Photo by Sayed Khodaiberdi Sadat/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Local health officials are encouraging Ohioans to get vaccinated against MMR, which experts say is 97% effective.
“Measles is a highly contagious and serious disease,” the City of Columbus Department of Health says on its website. “The MMR vaccine is safe and highly effective in preventing measles. MMR vaccines are available at Columbus Public Health during regular immunization clinic hours and at Franklin County Public Health by appointment only. Children can also get MMR vaccines from their pediatrician or medical center.”
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No deaths have been reported.
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