Health officials on Thursday confirmed the country's first measles death since 2003, and they believe the victim was most likely exposed to the virus in a health facility in Washington state during an outbreak there. The woman died in the spring; a later autopsy confirmed that she had an undetected measles infection, the Washington State Department of Health said in a statement. The official cause of death was announced as "pneumonia due to measles."
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 178 people from 24 states and the District were reported to have measles from Jan. 1 through June 26 of this year. Two-thirds of the cases, the CDC noted, were "part of a large multi-state outbreak linked to an amusement park in California."
Measles were effectively eliminated in the United States in 2000, according to the CDC. Health officials have said that the disease made a comeback recently, in part because of a growing number of adults deciding to delay or abstain from vaccinating their children. Last year brought the highest number of recorded measles cases since 2000, according to the CDC. Earlier this year, President Obama acknowledged the concerns some have about effects of vaccines but said: "The science is pretty indisputable." "You should get your kids vaccinated — it's good for them," Obama said. "We should be able to get back to the point where measles effectively is not existing in this country."
takyon: Celebrity critics recently denounced California's new mandatory vaccine law.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 05 2015, @08:32AM
Hairy: Tinfoil on too tight.
Go take your meds*, and let your hair breath.
* Tinfoilera side effects may include: Hairy speech, ponderous itching, scalp tasting, and "hair breath".
Do not use Tinfoilera while operating Non-Lethal Energy Weapons, Chem-Trailing, or Phone Bugging.
Ask Obama if your Doctor should talk to you about Climate Change or other propaganda you may be prescribed before using Tinfoilera.