WARNING: Dangerous Infection Outbreak In Louisiana And 17 Other States
An outbreak is spreading across the USA and health officials are warning Americans to take the necessary precautions to not catch this highly infectious disease.
The Mayo Clinic says that even Americans that have been vaccinated for this disease still could contract it during the current outbreak.
The CDC has issued a warning that measles is starting to spread across the country at a more rapid pace than we have seen in years.
According to CDC.gov:
As of March 14, 2024, a total of 58 measles cases were reported by 17 jurisdictions: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that "Measles is a highly contagious, serious airborne disease caused by a virus that can lead to severe complications and death".
Measles is most common in children, which has promoted the CDC to issue an alert to parent to make sure their kids are vaccinated. Adults can catch this disease as well if they haven't been properly vaccinated, so if that's you, get in touch with your healthcare provider.
What is Measles?
The Mayo Clinc says:
Measles is a childhood infection caused by a virus. Once quite common, measles can now almost always be prevented with a vaccine. Also called rubeola, measles spreads easily and can be serious and even fatal for small children. While death rates have been falling worldwide as more children receive the measles vaccine, the disease still kills more than 200,000 people a year, mostly children.
Measles Symptoms
- Fever
- Dry cough
- Runny nose
- Sore throat
- Inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis)
- Tiny white spots with bluish-white centers on a red background found inside the mouth on the inner lining of the cheek — also called Koplik's spots
- A skin rash made up of large, flat blotches that often flow into one another
What Happens When You Get Measles?
According to CDC.gov:
Common complications from measles include otitis media, bronchopneumonia, laryngotracheobronchitis, and diarrhea. Even in previously healthy children, measles can cause serious illness requiring hospitalization. One out of every 1,000 measles cases will develop acute encephalitis, which often results in permanent brain damage. One to three out of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles will die from respiratory and neurologic complications. Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a rare, but fatal degenerative disease of the central nervous system characterized by behavioral and intellectual deterioration and seizures that generally develop 7 to 10 years after measles infection.
So please take these precautions seriously as Measles can cause death in a child or an adult who is not vaccinated.
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Gallery Credit: CJ