After the first US death from measles in over a decade, the cases continue to rise, with three airports in the last month issuing travel warnings due to the highly infectious disease.
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First, Los Angeles and then JFK issued warnings to travelers about a measles outbreak on their flights. Now, the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia has joined the list. In each case, a traveller had arrived on an international flight with the highly contagious disease. A warning has been issued to anyone travelling on March 5 and in the baggage claim area during the hours of 4 pm to 9 pm.
The traveller also visited Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center Pediatric Emergency Department in Maryland on March 7th from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Anyone in either of these places should monitor themselves for any signs of measles.
The sickness travels through respiratory or physical contact with an infected person. Most older people in the US are vaccinated against measles. A rising number of younger people are not. This is the reason it is currently running riot through the US population.
One Recorded Fatality From Measles In US
At the time of writing, there have been 222 cases of measles reported. The illness has been found in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington. One of these has been fatal, with another death under investigation.
At present, 79% of new cases have been children under the age of 19. Of the total amount, 94% have been unvaccinated against measles. This lack of vaccinating in young people is the driving cause of the spread of the disease.
Measles was considered no longer a threat in the US not long ago. This, along with other vaccine paranoia, has driven parents to opt out of the vaccine. However, many of them clearly forgot about international travel. Just because measles wasn't prevalent in the US, it doesn't mean it couldn't arrive from somewhere less fortunate.
It isn't too late to get a vaccine against measles for yourself or your child. Sure, it's going to suck for a day or two, but it could save your life.
