Philly’s measles outbreak may have spread to Delaware as vaccine hesitancy creates breeding ground for outbreak

A measles outbreak in Philadelphia may have spread to neighboring Delaware, health officials fear.

An unvaccinated patient with the disease traveled to the First State on December 29 to visit a local health care facility while still contagious, potentially spreading the disease to others.

There are now eight cases of measles confirmed in Philadelphia, among unvaccinated adults and young children — but there are believed to be more.

Experts are urging everyone to get the measles vaccine, saying it is up to us to protect each other as a society and as a human family – and warning falling vaccination rates risk more outbreaks of the disease and ‘many deaths’. .

The MMR vaccination rate has fallen nationally from 95 to 93 percent of preschoolers since the Covid pandemic, amid rising anti-vax sentiment.

About 50 cases of measles are recorded in the US each year – most of which are linked to international travel to a country where the disease has not yet been eradicated.

The last major outbreak occurred in 2022, when more than 80 cases were recorded in Ohio — mostly among children who had not been vaccinated.

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases ever recorded; just a small amount can cause an infection.

It is spread through respiratory droplets or by touching contaminated surfaces, with patients experiencing a characteristic rash that breaks out on their face and then spreads throughout the body several days later.

The disease is especially dangerous for children under five years old, pregnant women and the elderly.

Patients can develop pneumonia and encephalitis – or inflammation of the brain. About three in a thousand infected children die from the disease.

To prevent infections, everyone is urged to get the measles vaccine – the so-called measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) – which is 97 percent effective against the disease from the age of 12 months.

But vaccination rates in the US are now falling – with 93 per cent of preschoolers across the country having received the jab by the time they start school, below the 95 per cent target.

While the shift may seem small, it means that thousands of additional children in the US now have no protection against measles compared to previous years when the rate was 95 percent.

In Philadelphia, rates fell from 97.4 percent the year before the pandemic to 92.8 percent of preschoolers in 2023. And in Delaware, the rate fell from 96.5 percent the previous year to 95.1 percent in 2023 .

The Delaware Department of Public Health revealed the possible infection, saying, “(We) are acting quickly to identify and prevent the spread of disease.

“Officials are working to identify anyone who may have been exposed, verify their vaccination status, alert them of possible exposure, and issue quarantine and exclusion orders as appropriate.”

Officials said the potential measles exposure occurred in Kent and New Castle counties — which make up two-thirds of the state.

They did not disclose the name or location of the clinic where people were exposed to an infected patient, or how many people may have been exposed to the virus.

The outbreak began late last month in Philadelphia when an unvaccinated child who had recently visited a country where measles is common was admitted to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

According to local media, doctors took two days to diagnose the infection. By then the disease had spread to two children in adjacent beds.

One was too young to be vaccinated – with the MMR only offered to children over one year old – while the second had not been vaccinated.

A parent of the second child has also tested positive for measles.

Despite orders to quarantine, one of the infected patients attended a daycare center – leading to two more cases.

Two more cases were confirmed yesterday, including one outside the city of Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Department of Health says it is tracking people who visited nine locations between December 19 and January 3.

This includes eight hospitals and one daycare in Philadelphia. Of the hospitals, two are outside Philadelphia – one in Meadowbrook and the second in Abington.

Officials are urging everyone to get the measles vaccine, which is 97 percent effective against the disease.

Philadelphia has seen the share of preschoolers vaccinated against measles consistently fall since the pandemic, to a low of 92.8 percent — below the 95 percent goal.

Before the pandemic, this rate was 97.4 percent in the age group. But for the year 2020 to 2021, it dropped to 94.9 percent among preschoolers, and to 94.3 percent the following year.

In Delaware, the MMR vaccination rate among preschoolers is also declining – to 95.1 percent in the year 2022 to 2023, compared to 96.5 percent the previous year.

This is in line with national levels, which stood at 95 percent for preschoolers between 2019 and 2020, before falling to 94 and then to 93 percent.

Experts warn that declining vaccination rates are leaving America more exposed to diseases that were once eradicated.

They also say the rise in vaccine hesitancy is being driven by the Covid pandemic, with pharmaceutical companies accused of overselling the strength of their vaccines.

There was also a media frenzy over rare side effects such as blood clots, which may have made many more cautious about getting shots.

Measles was declared eradicated in the US after a successful vaccination campaign, but cases continue to occur every year – caused by travelers coming from abroad.

The US recorded a total of 48 measles cases in 2023, compared to a high of 121 measles cases the previous year.