85 percent of infections tied to outbreak that began at Disney theme parks in California, officials say
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Feb. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- The number of measles cases in the United States has reached 121 patients in 17 states and the District of Columbia, federal health officials reported Monday.
The outbreak began at two Disney theme parks in southern California in December. It's believed that the source of the infection was likely a foreign visitor or a U.S. resident returning from abroad. Measles is still common in many parts of the world, including some countries in Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Africa, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The majority of people who've gotten measles were unvaccinated, CDC officials said.
The agency offered the following state-by-state breakdown on Monday: Arizona, 7 cases; California, 88 cases; Colorado, 1 case; District of Columbia, 1 case; Delaware, 1 case; Illinois, 3 cases; Michigan, 1 case; Minnesota, 1 case; Nebraska, 2 cases; New Jersey, 1 case; New York, 2 cases; Nevada, 2 cases; Oregon, 1 case; Pennsylvania, 1 case; South Dakota, 2 cases; Texas, 1 case; Utah, 2 cases; and Washington, 4 cases.
Most of the cases -- 103 cases, or 85 percent -- have been linked to the outbreak that started at the Disney parks in California, officials said.
Last week, Illinois health officials said five babies -- all less than 1 year old -- who attend a suburban Chicago day care center had come down with measles. Anyone who hadn't had the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine was told to stay home and away from unvaccinated individuals for 21 days -- the incubation period for measles, the health officials said.
The United States declared measles eliminated in 2000, meaning that the virus was no longer native to this country.
The United States experienced a record number of measles cases in 2014, with 644 cases in 27 states. This was the greatest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in 2000.
Since 2000, annual reported cases of the highly infectious disease have ranged from a low of 37 in 2004 to the high of 644 in 2014, the CDC said.
source : Latest Measles Count: 121 Cases in 17 States and D.C.
