Mesa County’s summer measles outbreak totaled 11 cases, started with out-of-state travel

Mesa County s late-summer measles outbreak started with three children who brought the virus back from an out-of-state trip ultimately passing it on to eight other people The Colorado Department of Community Soundness and Context previously identified seven people who contracted measles within the county raising concerns that the virus was spreading under the radar On Wednesday the agency broadcasted four additional cases from August including the three who traveled and one person they infected directly Those four previously unidentified people then spread the virus to the seven known cases All four of the new cases were unvaccinated children between five and according to the wellness department It didn t release any other information such as which state the children traveled to or whether any of them were related Measles is most of dangerous for people under or over The newly identified people got sick in August meaning they re well past the contagious period Largest part people who have measles are contagious for about four days before the rash appears and four days after The vaccine schedule calls for kids to receive their first dose at about and their second around Chosen children with compromised immune systems can t receive the vaccine and rely on the rest of the district to protect them through herd immunity where so a great number of people have been vaccinated that the virus can t easily reach new hosts The known cases included two unvaccinated adults who got sick in mid-August three people who shared a household with one of them and two strangers who crossed paths with them and later tested positive None of them needed hospital care Related Articles Five additional measles cases stated in Mesa County Feasible measles exposure communicated at Denver International Airport New measles episode certified in Mesa County more may have been exposed State robustness representatives warn of measles exposure at Children s Hospital Colorado Colorado has recorded measles cases so far this year which is the highest number since the s This has been an unusually severe year for measles nationwide The Centers for Infection Control and Prevention stated cases as of Tuesday including hospitalizations and three deaths The last time the country had more cases was While a massive outbreak in Texas has ended new ones have started in South Carolina Utah Arizona and Minnesota More than children in South Carolina are missing school because they have to quarantine for days following exposure Two doses of the measles vaccine are about effective in preventing infection Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get vitality news sent straight to your inbox