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 Data from 57 travel and tropical medicine clinics on six continents
shows that between 2000 and 2014, there were 94 reported measles
cases in these clinics, with two-thirds occurring after 2010.
Measles affected tourists, business travelers, and people visiting
friends or family.
“We think measles is definitely something people should be concerned
about, specifically getting vaccinated against,” said lead author
Mark J. Sotir of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
The measles virus is highly contagious, spread by respiratory
droplets in sneezes and coughs. Measles can cause diarrhea,
pneumonia and even death.
According to CDC recommendations, all children should have had two
doses of measles vaccine by age 6, which will be 97 percent
effective at preventing infection. Children and adults traveling
internationally should have evidence of these vaccines.
Infants ages 6 months through 11 months can receive a dose of the
vaccine in case of international travel, and will receive two more
doses after age 1 year on the regular vaccine schedule.
“There have been reports of people getting measles in airports and
on airplanes,” as well as in destination countries, Sotir told
Reuters Health.
The year with the most cases was 2011, when 11 were reported in
Asia, eight in Europe, four in Africa and one in the Middle East or
Caribbean.
Over the whole study period, exposures were reported in 30
countries, most often in Thailand, followed by India, Singapore,
Nepal, China and the Philippines.
Almost 90 percent of measles infections happened to adults, the
researchers report in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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Although the measles vaccine has greatly reduced the number of
cases, there are still 20 million cases annually worldwide, Sotir
said.
There have been recent outbreaks in Germany, France, Croatia and
Bosnia-Herzegovina, the authors write.
A measles infection becomes symptomatic with fever, eye irritation,
cough and a blotchy red rash between seven and 21 days after
exposure to the virus.
“Measles is a really contagious virus,” said coauthor Dr. Douglas H.
Esposito, also of the CDC. “The best way to protect against it is to
be fully vaccinated.”
Declining vaccination rates are a “broad public health issue,”
Esposito told Reuters Health.
“We feel that people should probably be evaluated by a healthcare
provider four to six weeks before they go,” Sotir said.
“We recommend people be up to date on routine vaccinations as well
as destination-specific vaccinations,” like those for tropical
climates, Esposito said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1LyzSH3 Clinical Infectious Diseases, online
September 23, 2015.
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