First Case Of Measles Confirmed In Delaware
WILMINGTON, Del. (WJZ)-- The measles outbreak is on Maryland's doorstep with a new case confirmed and it's not far away.
Health officials in Delaware report their first case, meanwhile, nationwide more than 100 people are infected.
Mary Bubala has the details.
"This is one of the most contagious infections," says Dr. Karyl Rattay, Delaware Public Health Director
Delaware's Public Health Director says a New Castle woman has the first confirmed case of measles in their state since 2012. The woman was infected while traveling abroad.
"If you're not vaccinated and you are near somebody who's contagious you have a 90-percent chance of being infected," said Rattay.
The CDC is now reporting more than a hundred cases of measles across 14 states stemming from an outbreak traced to Disneyland in California.
Now, there are isolated incidents in the northeast--an infected college student boarded an Amtrak train in New York and now the case in Delaware.
"It happens because there are more unvaccinated individuals in our population now than there was like a decade ago," Rattay said.
Delaware and Pennsylvania lag behind Maryland in terms of the number of children vaccinated for measles, Maryland's rate is 99 percent.
According to the CDC, Maryland is one of only 4 states with a 99 percent vaccination rate for measles among kindergarten aged children.
Pennsylvania has the lowest number of children vaccinated nationwide.