The United States is seeing the largest number of measles cases it’s had in more than two decades. Health officials say we haven’t had any diagnosed cases in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, but caution it could happen.
Vaccinations just about wiped out the disease in America some two decades ago, reducing the problem to the point where the cases we see aren’t really homegrown. They come from people visiting from other countries or people from here traveling overseas.
But vaccinations have become an issue. Ventura County Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin says there are pockets of people who are needlessly afraid to get shots for their children, creating the potential for measles to get a foothold again in the U.S. He says it stems back to bad information years ago which asserted the vaccinations might be factors in autism. The research was later discredited and later studies have shown there is no correlation.
Health officials say the shots are simple and pose virtually no risk. Dr. Henning Ansorg is Santa Barbara County’s Public Health Officer. He says because of the threat of being exposed to measles overseas, people planning to travel internationally should be up-to-date with measles protection.
It’s spread through the air by coughing and sneezing. Experts with the Centers for Disease Control say it’s so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of those directly exposed to it who aren’t immune will contract it. You should check your vaccination records to see if you’ve been immunized. There’s a blood test you can take to see, but it can be easier and cheaper to get a new immunization.
