Measles Cases Jump In U.S.
MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – Parents of unvaccinated children should watch out because for the first time since the mid-1990's, measles cases are up significantly in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
This comes despite the fact that the CDC said measles elimination was achieved in the United States in the late 1990's and in the rest of the Americas since 2000.
But, since America is such a hotbed for tourism, and measles is still endemic in the rest of the world; it puts the U.S. at risk for measles outbreaks.
During a period from January 1 to May 20, the CDC found 118 cases of the measles in 23 states and New York City. It was the highest number of reported cases since 1996. Thirty-five percent of those cases occurred in kids under 4 y ears of age.
Around 44 percent of the cases were reported as coming from overseas travelers that came from 15 foreign countries. Forty percent of the total cases resulted in hospitalization, but no one died from the disease.
Unvaccinated people accounted for nearly 90 percent of the cases, according to the CDC.
