Federal health officials said during a Tuesday webinar that some Americans traveling abroad in Europe are being exposed to outbreaks of the measles and reentering the United States infected with the virus.
During the first seven months of 2011, there were 156 cases of the measles reported in the U.S. That number is three times greater than average in recent years.
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases says the measles is a looming threat for the year because of the nationwide spike.
Jane Seward at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributes much of the increase to the measles outbreak in Europe. France, Italy and the U.K. where there have been almost 15,000 cases of the measles reported so far in 2011.
“Diseases of the past are not in the past anymore,” Dr. Gregory Poland of the Mayo Clinic said during the Tuesday webinar.
Measles is a viral infection characterized by an all-over red rash and flu-like symptoms. It is highly contagious, spread like the common cold through droplets in the air. Children who have not been vaccinated and infants under a year old who are too young to receive the vaccination are at a greater risk for infection, CDC officials said.
The best way to keep a community safe is to vaccinate everyone, said Poland. When some choose not to receive the vaccination, however, they put everyone in danger.
“They are an increased risk so others around them are at increased risk of exposure as well,” Seward said.
Megan Campbell learned this first hand when her 10-month-old baby was infected in a doctor’s office by an unvaccinated 7-year-old who had just returned from Switzerland. Her story of how her baby’s temperature reached 106 degrees is on the CDC website.
A dip in vaccination rates in the U.K. has caused the measles outbreaks to come back in parts of Europe. Though vaccination coverage in the U.S. remains high, around 90 to 95 percent, a drop in vaccination rates because of safety concerns could lead to more outbreaks of the measles, Seward explained.
“We don’t want to see happen here what happened in the U.K. with measles reestablishing ongoing transmission because people decide not to vaccinate,” she said.
People’s decisions not to vaccinate often are linked to safety concerns and the possible link between autism and the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. However “given the present state of the science, the proven benefits of vaccinating a child to protect them against serious diseases outweigh the hypothesized risk that vaccinations might cause autism,” according to a statement from Autism Speaks.
Representatives from Autism Speaks and Seward from the CDC emphasized that if parents have any concerns, they should discuss them with a pediatrician whom they trust.