Measles Hits US Hard: 900 Infected, CDC Urges Prompt Action 

United States: Recently released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that the United States has experienced 884 measles cases, as published on Friday. 

The total number of cases has come from twenty-nine states, which includes Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. 

Moreover, almost six of the states- Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, and Texas are reporting outbreaks, meaning three or more related cases, ABC News reported. 

More about the news 

As documented by the Texas Department of State Health Services, on Friday, the western area of Texas recorded 646 cases during the recent outbreak. 

Dr. Marschall Runge, who leads the University of Michigan Medical School and Michigan Medicine, declares that Texas and the United States are probably still battling underreported cases.

 

“I think it’s likely that there are a lot of unreported cases in children who weren’t particularly sick or didn’t come to medical attention,” as per Runge, ABC News reported. 

How fatal is the measles? 

As Runge stated, many people think measles is a benign virus, but “complications from measles are common and often severe.” 

A rash and high fever identify measles, while severe complications like brain swelling and pneumonia, aside from death and severe diarrhea along with blindness and respiratory issues, can develop into life-threatening conditions, according to the CDC. 

Measles patients who do not receive vaccinations face a 20% chance of being hospitalized, and among 1,000 measles-infected children, between one and three will die from complications, per CDC data.