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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that cases of measles have been significantly increasing in at least five states in the U.S., particularly among the unvaccinated people.
The upward trend in measles cases was observed in Alaska, Georgia, New York City, Rhode Island, and Texas.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services data, a measles outbreak has resulted in atleast 24 cases in Gaines County, located in the western region of the state.
'Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in Gaines County and the surrounding communities,' the department said on its website.
The health officials believe that the surge in cases might be related to a decline in vaccination as over 17.5 percent of parents or guardians of kindergarteners had requested for exemption of at least one vaccine in 2023, compared to 7.5 percent in 2013.
'Measles was eradicated in the United States around the turn of the millennium,' Dr. Linda Yancey, an infectious disease specialist with Memorial Hermann, told KHOU 11. 'But, because it is so contagious if those vaccination rates start to fall as they have been, we have the potential to become a measles-endemic country again. We are backsliding.'
The CDC urged healthcare providers and early childhood education providers to make sure that students receive measles, mumps and rubella or MMR vaccines. Children are advised to receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, with the first administered between 12 and 15 months of age, and the second between 4 and 6 years old.
According to the CDC, a full two-dose MMR vaccination proves to be 97 percent effective against measles.
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