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 Washington has been hit with 27 cases of measles so far in 2014, up
from five last year, and more than were reported in the state during
the past five years combined, said Kelly Stowe, spokeswoman for the
Washington State Department of Health.
The outbreaks in Washington have coincided with a slight decline in
the number of residents receiving a vaccination that also protects
against mumps and rubella, Stowe said.
She said the state saw an epidemic of pertussis, or whooping cough,
in 2012 that also coincided with a decline in the number of
vaccinations being given out for that illness.
"It is concerning," she said.
Homegrown measles, whose symptoms include rash and fever, was
declared eliminated from the United States in 2000.
But health officials say cases imported by travelers from overseas
continue to infect unvaccinated U.S. residents, pushing infection
rates across the country to two-decade highs.
[to top of second column] |
(Reporting by Laura Zuckerman in Salmon, Idaho; Editing by Daniel
Wallis and Peter Cooney)
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