Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Measles Cases Rise Sharply Within the United States

During the last six months of this year, measles cases in the United States rose to their highest level in over a decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported this finding in the August 22, 2008 edition of the MMWR. CDC researchers trace the rise in measles to transmission within the country, rather than an increase of overseas cases arriving in the U.S. Pockets of unvaccinated populations are most affected and risk spreading the highly contagious virus. A full copy of the report can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5733a1.htm.

Has your coalition seen a measles increase in your area? How is your group addressing the rising number of unvaccinated children?