Ohio makes 29 states with measles

The Ohio Department of Health announced it has confirmed the state’s first case of measles since 2017 in a young adult who recently traveled to a state with a confirmed outbreak. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the United States from January 1 to July 3 of this year to 1109, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)..

So far in 2019, 28 states had reported confirmed outbreaks of measles cases. Ohio, number 29, last experienced a measles outbreak in 2014 when 382 persons were confirmed infected with the virus. Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 due to successful vaccination programs, but in recent years the virus has made a comeback.

“Vaccines save lives, period,” said Amy Acton. MD, director of the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus earlier today, urging everyone who can to get vaccinated. “Vaccination is the safest, most effective way to prevent serious vaccine-preventable diseases in children and adults, including measles.”

Acton advises Ohio residents to consult with their healthcare providers to make sure they and their children are up-to-date with all recommended vaccines now before children return to school.