Most U.S. cases involve unvaccinated individuals according to CDC
Source CDC
By Becky Long
Publisher
Nationwide 1,088 cases of measles have been confirmed, but fortunately in Clay and North Carolina there have been no confirmed cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
“North Carolina has not experienced any positive cases yet this year, but the state is anticipating this to change. So, they are preparing for it,” Health Department Director Clarissa Rogers reported during a Local Emergency Planning Committee team meeting in May.
The LEPC team comprises a range of medical and emergency personnel along with businesses representatives as a resource for hazardous materials preparedness as well as strategizing for worse case scenarios like severe weather episodes, among other catastrophic situations.
Regarding measles, the CDC reports 96 percent of the cases reported are in unvaccinated individuals, noting that just one shot gives an individual 93 percent protection and two doses 97 percent protection, according to Rogers.
The health department has the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine available, she said.
“Measles is a highly contagious viral infection,” Rogers said. Typically, patients experience a fever, cough, runny nose and red/watery eyes followed in three to five days by a rash that usually begins on the face and spreads to other parts of the body.
Measles is considered an airborne disease, which means is can spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. The virus can live in the air and on surfaces for up to 2 hours after an infected person was in the area.
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. According to the CDC, this was thanks to a high percentage of people receiving the safe and effective measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. In recent years, U.S. MMR coverage among kindergartners has dipped below the 95 percent coverage target — much lower in some communities — and is decreasing, according to CDC.