Federal and state authorities have established that visits to Florida were connected to measles cases that surfaced in at least three states this year.This finding sheds light on some of the early infections that have spurred an upswing of the extremely contagious virus.
According to correspondence exchanged between local investigators and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through late February, Florida's health department believes that families of the victims from Louisiana and Indiana earlier this year may have crossed paths in the state.
Prior to now, Louisiana indicated that travel to another state was connected to the state's first two measles cases this year in the New Orleans region, though it did not specify which state.
This year, a patient in Ohio contracted the measles after traveling to Florida. There was no clear connection between the infection and the other two instances.
Megan Gumke, an epidemiologist with the Florida Department of Health, stated in an email on February 21 that she was "definitely curious if there is a connection" because "we've had an Ohio case that visited [redacted] Florida as well as a case of our own in the region."
CBS News received the emails by requesting them under the Freedom of Information Act.
It's unclear if these cases of measles are the same as those that the Orlando Sentinel revealed last month involved three small children and an adult who were treated at nearby emergency rooms.
Referring to Florida's health department, an Orlando Health system representative declined to comment. Citing other states where illnesses have been reported, Grant Kemp, deputy press secretary for the Florida Department of Health, stated it would be inaccurate to emphasize Florida as the core of the measles cases.
"When communicable diseases are identified in out-of-state residents, that information is transferred to the state where they reside and are not classified as a Florida case," Kemp wrote in his email.
Additionally, according to Kemp, the cases treated in Orlando were "completely unrelated" to a measles outbreak that occurred earlier this year at an elementary school in Broward County, Florida.
According to the emails, the first case in connection with the Broward County instances included a 9-year-old child who had not received vaccinations because of a religious exemption. Other possible measles cases in unvaccinated students at the same school quickly followed.
The youngster had not gone overseas recently. In the end, Broward County, Florida, reported nine cases before state authorities deemed the outbreak to be over.
It coincides with a push by health officials to immunize Americans who have not received the vaccine before to traveling abroad in order to prevent measles. With more measles cases in the first three months of 2024 than in all of 2023, the United States just reached an unwelcome milestone in this year's measles outbreak.
Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington are among the other states where the CDC reports cases.
The CDC noted on March 18 that of the measles cases that have been reported so far this year, 93% have been connected to travel outside of the nation.
Additionally, the FDA revised its advice for unvaccinated Americans visiting other countries on March 13 and advised those who are at least six months old to get vaccinated as early as six weeks prior to their trip.
There are currently no published recommendations on vaccinations for Americans visiting states where there are epidemics.
The CDC nevertheless maintains its long-standing advice that everyone receive a measles vaccination beginning at age 12 months. With decades of widespread usage, the MMR vaccination, which guards against measles, mumps, and rubella, is both safe and effective in preventing the once-common illness.
The necessity to make up for normal vaccinations missed during the epidemic is highlighted by the recent increase in cases, according to officials. However, they also believe that it is still "nowhere close to" the kind of ongoing outbreaks that officials were concerned may jeopardize the country's claim to have eradicated the virus.
The United States' vaccination rates are probably high enough to stop a recurrence of the devastating illness waves that, before to the vaccine, hospitalized thousands of youngsters and claimed hundreds of lives annually. After the measles virus was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000, there were no longer any ongoing outbreaks in the nation.
But the FDA has also issued a warning, stating that certain populations in the United States were left open to the spread of measles due to increased outbreaks overseas and gaps in protection.
There is currently little chance of a widespread outbreak because most American towns have a high level of population immunity to the measles. However, certain populations are more vulnerable to epidemics due to areas with inadequate coverage, according to the CDC.
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