First measles case confirmed since 2020 in Massachusetts
The case is linked to international travel, according to health authorities
Updated: 10:33 a.m. EDT July 18, 2024
THE GLOBAL MEASLES ALERT. HOSPITALS HERE SAY THEY’RE ON HIGH ALERT FOR THE EARLY SIGNS OF AN OUTBREAK. AND HERE TO EXPLAIN IS DR. KRISTEN MOFFAT, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL. DOCTOR, IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU. YOU KNOW. IT’S A LITTLE STRANGE TO SAY MEASLES. IT’S JUST 2024. THE CDC, BY THE WAY, ALSO ISSUED A NATIONAL ADVISORY THIS WEEK. SO WHAT DOES THIS CHANGE FOR YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES IN THE ER? YEAH, I MEAN, ON OUR DOORSTEP, IT’S NOT CHANGED TOO MUCH BECAUSE AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THE COMMON RASH AND THE FEVER, TWO OF THE MOST COMMON SYMPTOMS OF MEASLES ARE ALSO VERY, VERY COMMON PEDIATRIC SYMPTOMS IN GENERAL. AND WE’RE CARING FOR A LOT OF CHILDREN WHO ARE TOO YOUNG TO BE VACCINATED OR WHO ARE IMMUNODEFORMED. SO WE’VE HAD TO HAVE PRECAUTIONS IN PLACE TO PROTECT THOSE PEOPLE FOR A VERY LONG TIME. SO THAT MEANS THAT WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW ALL OF OUR INFECTION PREVENTION PRACTICES, TRYING TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF MEASLES, AND IT’S ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT THAT WE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THESE LOCAL AND NATIONAL HEALTH ALERTS, SO THAT WE CAN BE EVEN BETTER PREPARED FOR A CHILD TO POTENTIALLY COME IN WITH MEASLES. SO, DOCTOR, IF A CHILD COMES TO CHILDREN’S MEDICINE AND THEY HAVE MEASLES, TELL US ABOUT THAT. WHAT HAPPENS THEN? YES. SO WE OFTEN WON’T KNOW THEY HAVE MEASLES. RIGHT AWAY. OR MAYBE WE KNOW. MAYBE THEY’VE ALREADY BEEN ASSESSED BY PHONE OR VIDEO. UH, AN ASSESSMENT WITH THEIR DOCTOR. AND MEASLES IS ALREADY A BIG CONCERN. UH, BUT REALLY, WE WOULD WANT ANY CHILD WITH A RASH, FEVER, AND POTENTIALLY OTHER CONCERNED FEATURES TO BE ISOLATED IMMEDIATELY. WE WOULD MAKE SURE ANY STAFF INTERACTING WITH THEM WEAR AN N95, AND THEN WE’LL START TRYING TO GET MORE INFORMATION AND KEY COMPONENTS OF THAT ASSESSMENT WILL INCLUDE THEIR VACCINATION STATUS. Um, the unvaccinated or under-immunized people, or certainly the ones that we would be most concerned about, and we would get a travel history to see if they’ve been to places where we know MEASLES is spreading, it can take a long time for the confirmatory tests for MEASLES to come back. So we would involve our colleagues at the Department of Public Health quite early if we had a strong clinical suspicion of MEASLES, because it’s really early to start contact tracing. MEASLES is most contagious in the days before the rash appears. SO THERE ARE MANY STEPS IN THIS PROCESS THAT NEED TO BE THOUGHT ABOUT IMMEDIATELY AND IMPLEMENTED. WELL, AND DR MOFFAT, AS YOU KNOW, THE ONLY AGE GROUP THAT IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE MEASLES VACCINE IS BABIES UNDER SIX MONTHS OLD. RIGHT? CORRECT. YES. SO WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO PARENTS WHO HAVE BABIES UNDER SIX MONTHS OLD? YEAH. AND FRANKLY, AT THE MOST TIME BABIES ARE NOT IMMUNIZED AGAINST MEASLES UNTIL THEY ARE 12 MONTHS OLD. IT’S ABOUT IMMUNIZING THEM ABOVE SIX MONTHS OLD. BUT MOST DON’T START UNTIL 12 MONTHS OLD. I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT PARENTS, ESPECIALLY IF MEASLES STARTS TO CIRCULATE OR WE HAVE CASES HERE, WOULD BE CONCERNED. THE FIRST THING THEY COULD DO IS BUILD THAT COCOON AROUND THEIR OWN CHILD AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. AND THAT MEANS THAT THEY HAVE DONE THEIR BEST TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE WHO SPENDS TIME WITH THEIR CHILD IS FULLY VACCINATED, AND THAT STARTS IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD. IF THEIR CHILD IS ATTENDING A CHILDCARE OR A DAYCARE CENTRE, IT IS COMPLETELY APPROPRIATE TO REVIEW WITH THAT CENTRE THEIR OWN VACCINATION POLICIES FOR THEIR STAFF AND FOR OTHER CHILDREN. IT IS ALSO COMPLETELY APPROPRIATE TO ASK THEM HOW A FAMILY WOULD BE INFORMED IF THERE WAS A POTENTIAL EXPOSURE TO MEASLES IN THIS SETTING. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF INTERVENTIONS THAT COULD BE OFFERED IF A CHILD HAS BEEN EXPOSED. SO IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT A CENTRE WHERE INFANTS MAY SPEND THEIR TIME DOES EVERYTHING POSSIBLE AND USE ALL THE INFORMATION POSSIBLE TO KEEP THOSE CHILDREN HEALTHY, ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE TOO YOUNG TO BE IMMUNIZED THEMSELVES. A GOOD REMINDER, AN IMPORTANT REMINDER J
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday that an adult Worcester County resident who recently traveled abroad was diagnosed with measles this month. This is the first confirmed case of measles in a Massachusetts resident since early 2020. People who may have been exposed to measles through this case have already been contacted and provided with appropriate public health recommendations, officials said. “Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease that has been increasing worldwide, including here in the United States and in neighboring New England states,” said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. Measles cases have been reported in 30 states since early last year, mostly in unvaccinated individuals and communities, officials said. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of July 11, a total of 167 cases of measles have been reported in 24 jurisdictions across the United States in 2024. The majority were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status (84%), 11% had received one dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and 5% had received two doses. Nearly half of all reported cases (46%) were under the age of 5. Of those reported, 53% were hospitalized. Large outbreaks of measles are currently occurring in Europe and elsewhere around the world. Many cases reported in the United States are associated with recent travel. Last month, the DPH alerted residents of a potential measles exposure linked to an international visitor who traveled via Boston to Amsterdam while contagious. DPH urges anyone who does not know their measles vaccination status to contact their health care provider to get vaccinated with at least one dose of the MMR vaccine. Health care providers who suspect measles should call DPH immediately at 617-983-6800 for testing recommendations and advice. Boston health care providers should call the Boston Public Health Commission at 617-534-5611.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday that an adult Worcester County resident who recently traveled abroad was diagnosed with measles this month.
This is the first confirmed case of measles in a Massachusetts resident since early 2020.
People who may have been exposed to measles from this case have already been contacted and given appropriate public health recommendations, officials said.
“Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease that has been increasing worldwide, including here in the United States and in neighboring New England states,” said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein.
Measles cases have been reported in 30 states since the beginning of last year, mostly in unvaccinated people and communities, authorities said.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of July 11, a total of 167 cases of measles have been reported in 24 jurisdictions across the United States in 2024.
The majority of cases were unvaccinated or their vaccination status was unknown (84%), 11% had received one dose of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and 5% had received two doses. Nearly half of the reported cases (46%) were under 5 years of age. Of the reported cases, 53% were hospitalized.
Major measles outbreaks are currently occurring in Europe and elsewhere in the world.
Many cases reported in the United States are linked to recent travel. Last month, the DPH alerted residents of a potential measles exposure linked to an international visitor who traveled to Amsterdam via Boston while contagious.
The DPH urges anyone who does not know their measles vaccination status to contact their health care provider to get vaccinated with at least one dose of the MMR vaccine.
Health care providers who suspect measles should immediately call the DPH at 617-983-6800 for testing recommendations and advice. Boston health care providers should call the Boston Public Health Commission at 617-534-5611.