CDC urges vaccination, vigilance to prevent measles outbreak from spreading

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday reported 84 cases of measles since Jan. 1 in 14 states, most of which are part of a large outbreak linked to a California amusement park. CDC recommends that health care providers consider measles as a diagnosis in anyone with a fever, rash and other compatible symptoms who recently traveled abroad or had contact with someone with similar illness. Patients with suspected measles should be isolated and suspected cases immediately reported to the local health department, according to a recent CDC advisory. Providers also should ensure that patients are up to date on the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine, the agency said. Most of this year’s cases involve children or adults who were not vaccinated or were not sure of their vaccination status. The U.S. last year reported 644 measles cases in 27 states, the most since endemic measles cases were eliminated in 2000. Many of the 2014 cases were linked to travelers to the Philippines, where a large outbreak was occurring.