The West Virginia Department of Health has confirmed the state’s first instance of measles since 2009. The infected individual was identified as under-vaccinated and had recently traveled abroad. Contact tracing is currently underway due to the highly contagious nature of the virus.
Health officials warn that if one person has measles, up to 90% of unvaccinated individuals in close contact may become infected. As of 2021, the vaccination rate for measles in the United States was 90.8%, falling short of the 95% threshold required for herd immunity.
Nationally, there have been 97 confirmed measles cases reported between January 1 and March 28, compared to an average of just five cases during the first quarter of each year from 2020 to 2023.
Dr. Matthew Christiansen, West Virginia State health officer, strongly urges individuals to adhere to the CDC’s immunization schedule and vaccinate their children against measles as soon as possible. He references a recent outbreak in Pennsylvania, where nine individuals were infected, nearly all of whom were unvaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists common measles symptoms as fever, rash, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.
