United States: As measles cases continue to climb in the United States, health officials sound the alarm. The upward trend in infections heightens the concerns, prompting urgent advisories from health officials to address the escalating outbreak.
The CDC stated that there have been 113 cases of highly infectious virus in the United States so far. The increase in cases in March puts the virus back in the news. The results showed that Washington state accounted for up to nine instances.
Port Orchard residents Paula and Oscar Abalahin are still suffering from the tragic loss of their son Jaxon, who passed away at the age of eight from Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis, a debilitating neurological condition caused by measles in the human body.
“He was no longer Jaxon within six months, and Jaxon was unaware that he was Jaxon.It took four months to receive a diagnosis; he lost all of his motor abilities, and he was unable to speak,” Oscar recalled.
“He was sick, yet he never lost his good humor. He never stopped smiling despite his pain,” Paula continued.
The pair is still committed to spreading awareness through Jaxon’s Cure, their foundation, more than ten years later. They underscore the vital need to receive the MMR vaccine, emphasizing that Jaxon got the virus in infants even before they were eligible for the MMR vaccine dose.
According to the information given in KOMONEWS by Jackie Kent, children between the ages of 4 and 6 usually receive the second dose of the measles vaccination, while those between the ages of 12 and 15 months typically receive the first.
According to the CDC, 91.4% of Washington state’s youngsters received vaccinations in time for the 2022–2023 academic year. Hawaii had the lowest immunization rate (83.6%) over the same period of time.
The symptoms of measles range from mild, such as cough, red eyes, fever, runny nose, and rash, to severe outcomes like brain swelling or even death, though rare. Health officials highlight that infected individuals are contagious from four days before to after symptoms appear, transmitting through air particles or contact with contaminated surfaces. Most cases this year, significantly affecting unvaccinated children over one year old, are linked to international travel.
Vaccination is highly recommended, boasting a 97% effectiveness rate in preventing infection, though exemptions exist for medical or religious reasons. Despite vaccination requirements in Washington schools, the Abalahins continue to advocate and fundraise for measles research, aiming to honor their son’s legacy and contribute to finding a cure.
“The thinking here is that a lot of doses of the measles vaccine were missed or delayed during the pandemic and now this is the consequence of that,” Seattle Children’s Hospital Medical Director of Infection Prevention Dr. Danielle Zerr stated. “Then, you can imagine in school settings or settings where there are a lot of kids who aren’t vaccinated, it’s just an opportunity for the virus to spread very rapidly and effect a lot of people.”