Measles Outbreak Worsens in Washington State

Most of the 34 patients are under 10 years old, and almost all have been confirmed as unvaccinated against the virus.

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Update (February 5): The state of Washington is now averaging more than one new case of measles per day, with the number of infected people hitting 49 in Clark County alone, CNN reports. The country-wide total for 2019 currently stands at 79 cases, and includes patients across at least 10 US states.

The number of confirmed measles cases in southwest Washington state has grown to 34, with at least 30 of the patients not having been vaccinated against the virus, the Associated Press reports today (January 28). The outbreak, which started at the end of December and prompted Washington’s governor to declare a public health emergency earlier this month, has drawn further attention to the dangerous consequences of vaccination exemptions.

“Measles was eliminated from the US in 2000, but it’s been allowed to return,” Peter Hotez, an infectious diseases researcher at Baylor College of Medicine, tells ...

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  • Catherine Offord

    Catherine is a science journalist based in Barcelona.
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