WASHINGTON — The measles outbreak that originated in a California theme park is now in 14 states. People who’ve gotten sick range in age from 57 years to 10 months old. Most have not been vaccinated.
A D.C. Department of Public Health official confirmed to WTOP that a case of measles was reported in D.C. in January 2015.
That has health experts recommending people of all ages get immunized against all types of ailments
“People are coming to our country from areas where diseases are common that are not common here. Also people from our area travel to those areas,” says Loudoun Health Department Director Dr. David Goodfriend.
Goodfriend notes that people may choose to avoid vaccines for religious or other reasons. “If we choose not to vaccinate because we don’t think our children will come into contact with this infection — then really, we’re just playing Russian roulette,” he says.
Prior to the measles vaccine Goodfriend says it was a major killer in the U.S.
“It is always heartbreaking when you hear of a bad outcome to a child when it could have been prevented,” he says.
Laws vary by state, but immunization against numbers of communicable diseases is typically required of children who are educated at home or attending public or private schools.
There were two cases of measles in Northern Virginia last year. A person who traveled outside the country from Loudoun County returned home with it and spread measles to another county resident.
The last case of measles in Maryland was in Montgomery County in 2013.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has sent out a measles health advisory that details information about the outbreak originating in California, describes symptoms and offers recommendations to health care providers who might encounter it.
Health Departments in D.C. and in states around the nation are posting that advisory on websites and asking doctors to report cases and follow numbers of protocols.
“Isolate suspect measles case-patients and immediately report cases to local health departments to ensure a prompt public health response,” the notification states.
