More than 80 children infected in Ohio measles outbreak: half younger than two years old and nearly all unvaccinated

A measles outbreak in central Ohio has now infected 82 children — 32 in the hospital — as experts fear the once-vanquished virus will cause a resurgence.

Officials in Columbus, Ohio, the state’s largest city, confirmed the infections and reported that 74 of the infected children had not been vaccinated against measles – and four were only partially vaccinated. Almost all those infected are under the age of five.

Although it was once one of the deadliest infections in the world, deaths from measles have decreased significantly since an effective vaccine was introduced in 1968. In 2000, the US considered it an endemic infection.

However, due to the Covid pandemic, vaccination rates have fallen all over the world. Experts fear that this reduced immunity will lead to the reappearance of these once conquered viruses in the developed world. Earlier this year, New York registered the first confirmed case of polio in more than a decade in the United States.

A large majority of these cases are in unvaccinated children, with 90 percent receiving no shots and five percent only being partially vaccinated

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Columbus officials did not confirm the measles outbreak until November – when there were 24 cases.

At the time, researchers linked the outbreak to nine day care centers and two children’s hospitals in the area.

In the most recent update Tuesday morning, the city is now reporting 82 cases, both in Columbus itself and in the surrounding areas.

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Just under half, 32, of the cases required hospitalization. No deaths have yet been linked to the outbreak.

The CDC estimates that measles kills 130,000 people worldwide each year, although deaths in the United States are rare. Up to two out of 1,000 infected die.

“We are diligently working on the cases to identify potential exposures and to notify exposed individuals,” said Dr. Mysheika Roberts, Columbus Public Health Officer, in a statement Nov. 9.

“The most important thing you can do to protect yourself from measles is to get vaccinated with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is safe and highly effective.”

The MMR vaccine is a three-in-one shot that prevents three potentially deadly diseases: measles, mumps and rubella.

It is intended for a child to receive their first vaccination between 12 and 15 months. The first shot alone is 93 percent effective against infection.

They get a second dose between the ages of four and six, which takes their protection against the virus to 97 percent.

However, many of the infected children did not receive vaccination, leaving them vulnerable to the disease.

Officials report that the majority of children infected in this outbreak are under the age of two

“Measles is both highly contagious and preventable,” said Joe Mazzola, commissioner of health for Franklin County, which includes Columbus.

“This can be a serious disease, so we strongly advise anyone who has not been vaccinated to get vaccinated to prevent further spread.”

So far, this outbreak has mainly affected small children. Officials report 23 infections in children younger than one year and 36 in children one or two years old.

Only five of the cases involve children over the age of six. No infections have been reported in adults to date.

The first symptoms of measles often appear a week after infection.

A sick person often gets a high fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes.

In the days that follow, the virus causes a rash that can spread to a person’s face, neck, arms, legs and feet.

Unlike many other skin rashes, the spots caused by measles are usually not painful or itchy.

An infected person may also experience the development of small white spots. Young children, the immunocompromised and the elderly are most at risk.

Measles first gained notoriety in the United States in the early 1900s and was made a nationally reportable disease by federal officials in 1912.

The virus killed about 6,000 Americans each year before scientists first developed a vaccine in 1963.

Since then, measles rates have declined in the United States, and successful vaccination campaigns have all but eliminated it as a regular threat to Americans.

In 2000, US officials declared that the virus had been eradicated from the US population.

However, it sometimes occurs in America. While 90 percent of the population is vaccinated by age two, the remaining unvaccinated individuals are at risk, according to CDC reports.

In 2019, the country hit the largest measles outbreak in decades, with 1,274 confirmed infections in 31 states.

This outbreak may be related to COVID-19 lockdowns and other pandemic measures that have disrupted medical treatment over the past two years.

The World Health Organization warned in July that the pandemic had caused a global “slump” in vaccinations around the world.

Officials now fear that rare but dangerous viruses such as measles could cause a resurgence around the world.

Just outside New York City this summer, the United States recorded its first case of polio in more than a decade.

Although only one case was confirmed, sewage data shows there were likely thousands more that went undetected.

Some have also warned that the anti-vaccination movement, spurred by backlash against Covid vaccines, has also left very young children vulnerable.