Three more states confirm measles cases

Three more states confirmed their first measles cases of the year over the weekend, as the United States battles a growing outbreak of the highly contagious disease that has now touched more than half of the nation.

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April 20 (UPI) -- Three more states confirmed their first measles cases of the year over the weekend, as the United States battles a growing outbreak of the highly contagious disease that has now touched more than half of all U.S. states.

Louisiana and Virginia confirmed their first cases of the illness on Saturday after Missouri added their names to the list of states with confirmed cases a day prior. Each state confirmed one case and all had recent history of international travel.

The Louisiana Department of Health identified the patient in a statement as an unvaccinated adult in the greater New Orleans area.

Their exposure is seemingly linked to international travel and they are in isolation at a local hospital where they are being treated for the disease, the department said.

"The LDH Office of Public Health is working to identify and notify those who have come into contact with the infected individual," it said.

The patient in Virginia has been identified by local health officials as a child under the age of 4 with recent international travel history. No other information about the patient was provided to protect the privacy of the family.

"This first case of measles in Virginia this year is a reminder of how easily this highly contagious disease can spread, particularly with international travel," VDH State Epidemiological Laurie Forlano said in a statement.

"Vaccination remains our best defense against measles and is safe and highly effective at protecting people and preventing outbreaks. We urge Virginians, especially those planning to travel, to check their vaccination status, talk to their healthcare provider and get the MMR vaccine if needed."

In Missouri, health officials said the state's first confirmed patient of the year was also a child whose vaccination status was unknown. They said the child was "a visitor of Taney County associated with international travel."

"There is no indication of widespread exposure, as this person was diagnosed soon after arrival to Taney County," the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said in a statement.

"Exposure is believed to be limited, and known contacts have been identified and contacted."

Also on Friday, Michigan -- which confirmed its first infection of the year on March 14 -- announced an outbreak involving three confirmed patients. Their infections are linked to an outbreak of hundreds of cases in Ontario, Canada, the state's health officials said.

With the three states confirming infections, the number of states with measles cases this year rises to at least 27 as of Sunday night.

The website for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which last updated its statistics on Friday, states a total of 800 cases of measles has been confirmed this year, with 96% of the patients either unvaccinated or having an unknown vaccination status.

Eighty-five of the patients have been hospitalized and there have been three deaths associated with the disease.

With nearly 600 confirmed cases, Texas is by far the most affected state.

Only 2019's 1,274 measles cases exceed this year's tally since 2000, when the United States declared it had eliminated measles from its borders.

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