According to the city officials in New York, the small population of unvaccinated individuals need to be extra careful over the next couple of weeks because an Australian individual with suspected measles has arrived in the city. This announcement was made last Friday by the New York State Department of Health.
The statement from the Department of Health stated that they had confirmed the case of the Australian tourist as measles and he could be spreading the virus causing the disease via air droplets that are coughed or sneezed out. These droplets that contain the virus may keep the virus alive for up to two hours during which time susceptible individuals may inhale them and get infected, the experts warn. The tourist in question seems to have travelled across the city and surrounding counties between 16th and 21st February 2018.
Measles virus. 3D illustration showing structure of measles virus with surface glycoprotein spikes heamagglutinin-neuraminidase and fusion protein. Image Credit: Kateryna Kon / Shutterstock
According to the DoH, the locations were La Quinta Inn, 31 W. 71st Street, New York, NY, between 16th and 19th of February, Oasis Bible Tours at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Avenue, New York, NY, on the 17th morning, Watchtower Educational Center, 100 Watchtower Drive, Patterson, NY, on the 19th afternoon, Best Western Hotel, 1324 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, between 19th and 20th of February, Comfort Inn & Suites Goshen – Middletown, 20 Hatfield Lane, Goshen, NY on 21st night and Excel Urgent Care, 1 Hatfield Lane, Goshen, NY, on 21st morning. Vulnerable populations in these regions at these times may have contracted the virus they announced.
Measles is a viral illness that is highly contagious and leads to fever, rash, cough, runny nose and runny eyes. These symptoms usually take around 10 to 14 days to appear after exposure to the virus. Vaccine against the infection can prevent this infection. Thus those who have been vaccinated against the infection are safe during this exposure. As such measles is a self-limiting illness with no specific cure. The problem arises when it is contracted by vulnerable and immunocompromised persons wherein it may lead to complications that may be life threatening.
Measles has been declared to be eliminated from the United States due to the large vaccine coverage of over 95 percent of the paediatric population. A combination of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine called MMR which is 97 percent effective in preventing the infection. There is of course a small population of parents who do not wish to vaccinate their children against this infection as part of their religious or other personal beliefs. This paediatric population remains vulnerable to this viral infection say experts. All children need a series of vaccines that they must receive to be enrolled in public schools. MMR remains one of these essential vaccines.
There have been incidences of spread of this infection in the US from other countries and regions due to tourist visits who carried in the virus. An outbreak of measles was reported in 2013 when an orthodox Jewish community living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn was affected. The 57 individuals who were affected at the time were all unvaccinated.
Improving public health communication in African epidemics: Lessons learned and future directions