13 hours Ago By Yelena Mandenberg
Washington DC health officials warned that they have a confirmed case of measles in the city, and the patient came used an Amtrak train. Measles is not often seen in the United States, but Americans are growing more concerned about the preventable virus as cases continue to rise in rural West Texas. At the start of March, an unvaccinated child died in the outbreak, which involves nearly 200 cases.
Already, the U.S. has more measles cases this year than in all of 2024, the U.
S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. It is one of the most contagious diseases in the world, experts say.
Donald Trump 'touched' after receiving 'beautiful' gift from Putin Woman dead after making terrible mistake as tornado struck her home According to the DC health release , several public transportation locations were flagged as officials urged those who frequent the listed train stations to stay aware of any potential symptoms. Listed below are the date, times, and locations of the potential exposure sites associated with this case of measles: Amtrak Northeast Regional 175 Train Southbound: March 19, 7:30 pm - 1:30 am Amtrak Concourse, Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 March 19, 11:00 pm - 1:30 am MedStar Urgent Care Adams Morgan, 1805 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009 March 22nd, 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm Texas state health officials said Tuesday there were 18 new cases of measles since Friday, bringing the total to 327 across 15 counties — most in West Texas. Forty people have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.
Lamb County was new to the list, with one case. New Mexico health officials announced one new case Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 43. Most of the cases are in Lea County, where two people have been hospitalized, and two are in in Eddy County.
Oklahoma’s state health department has nine total cases as of Tuesday, including seven confirmed cases and two probable cases. The first two probable cases were “associated” with the West Texas and New Mexico outbreaks. A school-age child died of measles in Texas last month, and New Mexico reported its first measles-related death in an adult last week.
The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old, says the AP. People at high risk for infection who got the shots many years ago may want to consider getting a booster if they live in an area with an outbreak, said Scott Weaver with the Global Virus Network, an international coalition.
Those may include family members living with someone who has measles or those especially vulnerable to respiratory diseases because of underlying medical conditions. Adults with “presumptive evidence of immunity” generally don’t need measles shots now, the CDC said. Criteria include written documentation of adequate vaccination earlier in life, lab confirmation of past infection or being born before 1957, when most people were likely to be infected naturally.
.
