Measles In Maryland Add To Record-Setting Year

Measles, a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease that was all but eradicated in the United States nine years ago, has climbed to its highest level in 25 years. So far this year, there are approximately 700 cases across the U.S., including in Maryland.

These are all the states reporting measles cases: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee and Washington.

In Maryland, there have been four cases so far in 2019, compared with one case in 2017 and one case in 2018.

Measles spreads among unvaccinated people through coughing, sneezing and secretions from the mouth. Experts say it may remain in the air for up to two hours. For most people, measles causes fever, runny nose, cough and a rash that covers the body. In a small fraction of cases, complications such as pneumonia and dangerous swelling of the brain can occur. The sickness is especially dangerous for babies and young children.

RELATED: 4th Measles Case In Maryland Confirmed

Here are dates and locations where people may have been exposed in Maryland since state health officials confirmed the first measles case on Friday, April 5; all locations are in Pikesville:

• 4000 Old Court Rd in Pikesville from 9:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16,
• 4000 Old Court Road on Sunday, April 14, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• 4000 Old Court Road on Tuesday, April 2, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• 1630 Reisterstown Road at Market Maven on Sunday, April 14, from 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• 201 Reisterstown Road at Seven Mile Market on Sunday, April 14, from 12:45 to 3:15 p.m.

No one has died from the measles this year, but the CDC warns that for every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die.

Since 2000 when the CDC declared measles eradicated, there have been three measles-related deaths in the United States, the most recent in 2015.

One in four people who contracts measles in the U.S. will require hospitalization, according to federal health data.

Record Number Of Cases

This is the worst year for measles in the United States since 1994, when there were 963 cases for the year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There have been 704 cases so far between Jan. 1 and April 26, 2019, the CDC reported on Monday, April 29. In the past week, there were 78 cases reported in the U.S.

Of the new cases reported last week, 61 were in New York state, where outbreaks have occurred among unvaccinated members of ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn and Rockland County. About three-fourths of the U.S. measles cases are in those communities, and public health officials were worried cases may surge among those groups after Passover gatherings; Passover ends April 27, and it takes 10 to 12 days for symptoms of measles to occur.

The biggest concentrations of measles cases are in New York, Washington and Michigan. The outbreaks are linked to travelers who brought measles back from countries such as Israel, Ukraine and the Philippines, where large measles outbreaks are occurring, according to the CDC, which advises measles vaccinations before traveling abroad.

Why Measles Is Making A Comeback

Before the vaccine became available, measles took a terrible toll. In 1958, the worst year for measles in recorded history, more than 552 people died. There were more than 763,000 measles cases that year.

The vaccine against measles has been available since the 1960s and is considered safe and highly effective.

The MMR vaccine to prevent measles, mumps and rubella (also known as German measles) has been used for nearly 50 years in the United States. Measles and rubella were completely eradicated, and mumps cases decreased by 99 percent as result of widespread use of the vaccine.

Measles began making a comeback in recent years because of the spread of widely debunked information about the safety of vaccines. In 2014, there were 667 measles cases in the United States.

The CDC recommends the vaccine for everyone over a year old, except for people who had the disease as children, since those who have had measles are immune.

“Large, well-designed studies have confirmed the safety and effectiveness of the MMR vaccine and have demonstrated that administration of the vaccine is not associated with the development of autism,” said Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. He called the numbers released this week troubling, especially in light of the World Health Organization’s statement earlier this year that vaccine hesitancy is one of the top 10 threats to global health.

“It deeply concerns us when we see preventable diseases such as measles or mumps reemerging in the United States and threatening our communities,” Marks said in a statement. “We want to underscore our continued confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines that are highly successful at preventing — in some cases, nearly eradicating — preventable diseases."

Marks called attention to the CDC’s designation of National Infant Immunization Week, April 27-May 4.

“We cannot state strongly enough the overwhelming scientific evidence shows that vaccines are among the most effective and safest interventions to both prevent individual illness and protect public health,” Marks said. “Vaccinating against measles, mumps and rubella not only protects us and our children, it protects people who can't be vaccinated, including children with compromised immune systems due to illness and its treatment, such as cancer.”

The MMR vaccine is 97 percent effective in preventing both measles and rubella if given according to CDC guidelines, which call for two doses beginning at 1 year. There are some generally mild and short-lived side effects, such as a rash or fever.

“If parents have concerns about these side effects, we recommend that they speak with their health care providers about the benefits and risks of vaccines, along with the potential consequences of not vaccinating against diseases,” Marks said.

Rubella, once a common disease that occurred primarily among young children, causes fever, rash, and — mainly in women — arthritis. Rubella infection during pregnancy can also lead to birth defects.

Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert, told The AP the trend away from vaccines is "alarming," not only because measles is dangerous in itself, but also because it could mean children aren't being vaccinated for other preventable diseases.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

— By Patch editors Beth Dalbey and Elizabeth Janney