US measles outbreak warning: 35 confirmed cases as number continues to rise

Clark County public health officials confirmed the number, adding 11 cases were suspected in an update late yesterday afternoon that prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency. This follows the 31 confirmed cases on Friday, with the number having increased from 25 on Thursday. The majority of those infected were children, with 25 of the 35 cases impacting youngsters aged 10 or under. Nine other cases were in children between 11 and 18 with only one confirmed case appearing in a patient aged between 19 and 29, according to ABC News.

The county health website listed locations where infected patients have visited in an attempt to control the outbreak, with 10 doctors surgeries listed, a dozen schools, several churches, an ikea and a an arena where the Trail Blazers basketball team played recently.

The website also noted that of the 35 confirmed cases, 31 of those individuals had not been immunised against measles.

Dr Alan Melnick, the public health director for Clark County, urged residents to get vaccinated as a precaution.

He said: “I think the best thing we can do to prevent this is to have the vaccination rates higher.”

Dr Peter Hotez, of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, added: “People are often very dismissive of measles, but we forget the fact that it’s actually, up until fairly recently in human history, it’s been one of the great killers of children worldwide.

“It’s one of the most highly contagious diseases known to humans, so on average if a single individual gets measles, 12 to 18 other individuals will get it as well.”

He also said the disease still poses a serious threat many appear to have forgotten about.

Measles was a deadly disease for children in the US before the vaccine became available in 1963.

Initial symptoms include fever of more than 40C, cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes and diarrhoea.

Serious complications are pneumonia, seizures blindness and even brain damage if not treated.

The illness affects more than 20 million people worldwide annually.

source: express.co.uk