Measles Outbreak Explodes Across US
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We begin today with health news.
There's an outbreak of measles in multiple states in the United States.
The outbreak began in a rural county in Texas and has now spread to several hundred cases there.
New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas have also confirmed cases of measles.
Measles is one of the world's most contagious diseases
that is also easily preventable with a vaccine.
The viral infection can be serious for small children.
Symptoms like coughing, runny nose, sore throat, fever, and skin rash
are slow to appear, usually 10 to 14 days after exposure.
The measles vaccine was developed in the 1960s and is so effective that measles was declared fully eradicated in the US in 2000.
Under normal circumstances, the US Centers for Disease Control or CDC...
recommends one dose of the vaccine between 12 to 15 months of age and another between 4 and 6 years old.
It's important to note that measles has not been eradicated in many countries around the world.
Outbreaks can happen because of imported cases and low vaccination rates.
Local officials in states linked to the measles outbreak are now concerned the measles virus could spread into high-traffic areas and vulnerable populations.
Because of the contagious nature of the virus and low vaccination rates in some areas of the country,
experts expect the outbreak could continue to grow.
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is publicly urging people to get the measles vaccine.
Let's hear from our Dr. Sanjay Gupta who explains what measles is and why it's so contagious.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases on the planet.
Now, like the flu or COVID-19, it can be spread through coughing, sneezing, even breathing.
But the thing about the measles virus is that it can also linger longer.
Picture this: if someone had measles and left the room,
2 hours later, if someone who was unvaccinated walked in,
they would have a 90% chance of getting measles.
2 hours later!
it's also estimated that a person with measles...
could infect 9 out of 10 of their close contacts if their contacts are unvaccinated.
Another reason it's so contagious is that it can spread before symptoms even develop.
That means you can spread it to others days before you start to get sick,
days before those characteristic red spots appear.
But the key here is vaccination.
And because measles is so contagious, you need a really high level of vaccination.
We're talking 95% in the community to help keep it at bay.
That's why we see outbreaks occur in pockets of the country where that number has dropped.
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