New Year’s virus? 82 Measles cases in Ohio affect unvaccinated children, newborns, and infants

A measles outbreak in Ohio has sickened more than 80 children and hospitalized dozens. In most cases it is unvaccinated children who, despite having the age requirements to be immunized, were not.

According to updated public data As of Tuesday morning, there are 82 confirmed cases of children with measles in Ohio, of which 32 have been hospitalized, thankfully none have died.

It is not yet clear how long the outbreak will continue, as the most recent case was detected last week. Columbus Public Health officials first reported the outbreak in early November, though the first known cases are believed to have started in mid-October.

Lack of vaccination led to measles outbreak in Ohio

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that usually causes a flu-like picture and a characteristic rash.

Although most cases are mild, the risk of serious and life-threatening complications is greatest in very young children. Even a typical case can have long-term adverse effects, as the measles virus can suppress a person’s immunity to other infections.

Fortunately, there is a safe and highly effective two-dose vaccine: The MMR vaccine, a combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. This vaccine has helped eliminate measles from local circulation in many countries, including the United States.

Unfortunately, many areas of the world remain undervaccinated against measles, and the virus continues to kill more than 100,000 people a year, mostly children under the age of five.

Occasionally, cases imported from other countries can cause outbreaks in the United States that largely spread among pockets of unvaccinated individuals and communities, and this appears to be the case in Ohio, as of the 82 cases documented so far, at least 74 have been in unvaccinated Ohio children.

In addition, four other cases have been reported in partially vaccinated children and four in children whose vaccination status is unknown.

Other cases occurred in children too young to be vaccinated, but 66% of cases were seen in children between one and five years old, meaning they were of age to be vaccinated. So it is assumed that many or most of these children have parents who have refused to vaccinate them.

Vaccine-averse parents remain a public health concern

It is important to note that there was a decline in measles cases in the early years of the pandemic, both in the United States and around the world. Still, the virus is likely to have made a strong comeback this year, thanks in no small part to the halt in childhood vaccination programs and growing anti-vaccination sentiment from parents around the world.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), measles should be considered an imminent threat to public health in all regions of the world. Therefore, compliance with comprehensive vaccination schedules is essential to prevent outbreaks of this disease which can be life-threatening for children and adults.

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