Top US summer destination on red alert as traveler with world's most contagious disease infects untold number
An adult passenger with an active case of measles traveled through Salt Lake City International Airport multiple times before Memorial Day.
After landing into Salt Lake City from Canada on May 19, they drove a rental vehicle to a hotel in Burley, Idaho, for a business trip.
Four days later, they made the return journey home, taking the same method of transport.
Passengers who were on the individual's flights have been contacted by the Salt Lake County Health Department, as have guests who stayed at the same Burley hotel.
Another out-of-state resident infectious with measles also passed through the southwestern region of Utah on May 26 and 27, which has heightened the cause for concern.
Utah officials are warning anyone who fears they may have been exposed to contact their health provider and monitor for symptoms in what is the latest in a string of measles scares to rock America's major airports and surrounding neighborhoods.
The last reported measles infection in Utah - which is a popular tourist destination for its stunning National Parks including Arches, Bryce Canyon and Zion - was in March of 2023.
A person who was not vaccinated traveled outside the US and brought measles back to Utah but they weren't believed to have infected anyone else.
Before that, there were three people in Utah who had measles in February 2017, with one child who was not up-to-date on vaccinations being the one to infect two other unvaccinated individuals.
The two fresh Utah cases come as measles cases in the US continue to spike.
Currently there have been 1,088 confirmed measles cases and at least three deaths reported by 33 states.
Of these cases, three-quarters are in children under the age of 19.
In an updated advisory, the CDC is warning that people can get infected with measles during travel or at crowded events, unless they are fully vaccinated or have had the disease.
The notice reads: 'Travelers can catch measles in many travel settings, including travel hubs like airports and train stations, on public transportation like airplanes and trains, at tourist attractions, and at large, crowded events.
'Infected travelers can bring the disease back to their home communities where it can spread rapidly among people who are not immune.'
The government agency recommends that all travelers be fully vaccinated against measles before traveling to an international destination.
The last time measles was this rife in the US was in 2019, when there were 1,274 cases reported for the entire year.
Prior to that, the biggest outbreak was in 1990, with numbers spiking to more than 27,000.
Measles was officially eradicated in the US in 2000 amid a successful vaccination campaign.
At the time, the CDC described achieving measles elimination status in the US as a 'historic public health achievement'.
However, a recent study found uptake of the vaccine among children declined in eight in 10 US counties last year, which is being signaled as the cause of the measles resurgence.
Overall, vaccine rates fell three percent across the country.
It means that merely 91 percent of children are vaccinated against measles, which is well below the 95 percent need to prevent the disease from spreading and causing death.
The Johns Hopkins University researchers warned that if vaccination rates continue to fall, measles is likely to completely return and become a common infection among Americans.
A majority of those infected as well as the all of the deceased had not received their MMR vaccine - primarily due to vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, experts say.
Without the MMR vaccine, which is 97 percent effective at stopping infections, measles is thought to be the most infectious disease in the world.
It causes tiny white spots inside the mouth, flat red spots on the neck, torso, arms, legs, and feet, ear infections and an intense fever.
In terms of when to get vaccinated, experts say children need two doses of MMR vaccine: the first dose at age 12-15 months, and the second dose at age 4-6 years.
Babies ages 6-11 months should get an early dose if traveling internationally. Adults should also check to see if they are immune to measles.
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