Dr. Patrick Jackson, a UVA infectious disease expert, warns declining vaccination rates could lead to more outbreaks.
Most of the measles cases reported so far this year are in Texas, where health officials are trying to clamp down on a growing outbreak that has sickened more than 150 people. Other states have also recorded measles cases though they trail far behind Texas, including New Mexico, California and New York City.
Dr. Ana Montanez is working overtime in Lubbock to contact vaccine-hesitant parents, explaining the grave risks posed by a disease that most American families have never seen, and one that can be prevented through immunization.
Measles cases are popping up across the United States, including an outbreak in Texas that has led to the death of a child.
Vaccination is the only way to prevent measles infection, a fact the Trump administration has downplayed. Until this year, public-health officials have abided by a simple playbook for measles outbreaks: Get unvaccinated people vaccinated,
Here’s what to know about the current measles outbreak, how common the measles is in the U.S., how it spreads and what the symptoms and treatment are.
The deadly outbreak comes 25 years after health officials declared measles to be eliminated in the United States following an effective vaccination program. But immunization rates have been gradually dropping in recent years,
The United States of America has officially recorded its first measles death since 2015. Texas health officials have confirmed that a school aged child has passed away from measles amid a massive outbreak that has impacted nine counties in West Texas.