America is currently experiencing its highest caseload of measles in over three decades, and the third person this year has died from complications associated with the virus. Measles is a highly contagious virus that was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000 following the development of the measles vaccine. Since then, there have been occasional annual spikes in case numbers.
Over the last two years, though, cases have surged. So far this year, the number of those residing in the U.S. who have been infected has already vastly surpassed the annual caseload of any year since 2000. Three people have also died this year due to complications associated with measles.
The third person was a 40-year-old woman who passed away on Saturday, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office confirmed. As cases continue to rise, experts have told Newsweek whether Americans should be concerned about the spread of the disease. "The fact that any measles deaths are occurring in the U.S. is a tragedy, because measles is completely preventable through vaccination," Lauren Gardner, a professor of civil and systems engineering at Johns Hopkins University, told Newsweek.
"Americans that are unvaccinated or have unvaccinated children should be concerned, especially if outbreaks are occurring in their community." Amira Roess, a professor of global health and epidemiology at George Mason University, told Newsweek that Americans who have been "fully vaccinated and are relatively healthy" do not have to "worry much" about measles. However, she said that Americans who have a "significant underlying health issue or are caring for someone who does" need to "pay attention." Those with underlying health conditions and weakened immune systems are at an increased risk of becoming very unwell if infected with the virus. Pregnant women, children under the age of 5, and adults older than 20 are also more at risk of experiencing measles complications.
For those who are at risk, Roess said: "Measles can be deadly." In some cases, those infected with the virus can suffer from severe complications such as pneumonia (an infection of the lungs) and encephalitis (a swelling of the brain). These complications may require hospitalization and, in extreme cases, could result in death. Around one in five unvaccinated people in the U.S. who get measles require hospitalization, while 1 in 20 children who get measles go on to develop pneumonia and 1 in 100 children with measles develop encephalitis, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For pregnant women who have not been vaccinated and have measles, the virus can result in premature birth or a low-birth-weight baby. As many Americans are in regular contact with someone who is immunocompromised or are immunocompromised themselves, Roess said it was important that you "do what you can to stay healthy and avoid exposure." However, she added that reducing exposure to measles can be "very difficult as the measles virus is aerostatic, meaning it can stay suspended in the air for about 4 hours. This increases its ability to infect." It is understood by many that the best way to protect yourself against measles is by getting the vaccine.
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