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California Leads Measles Outbreak

Denise Guerra |
April 25, 2014 | 1:04 p.m. PDT

Executive Producer

16th century Aztec drawing of someone with measles. [Wikimedia]
16th century Aztec drawing of someone with measles. [Wikimedia]
The CDC reports the biggest measles outbreak in the U.S. since 1996.

The report cites 128 cases in 13 states since mid-April, with the majority in California and New York City. Health officials cite those unvaccinated may have caught the disease from tourists traveling to the U.S.

California was hit the hardest with 58 cases of measles associated with tourist contact. The Washington Post reports:

"Twenty-five of the people infected were not immunized–19 of them because of philosophical objections–and 18 more had no documentation of vaccinations. Three were too young for routine vaccination and three others were not vaccinated for unknown reasons."

The highly contagious virus was once thought to be eliminated with the introduction and distribution of the MMR vaccine.

You can reach Executive Producer Denise Guerra here or on Twitter here.



 

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