Dumbass parents:
An unvaccinated child was infected by measles recently while visiting another country and might have exposed Coralville and Iowa City residents to the virus about a week ago, according to Johnson County Public Health.
The child is the third known person in Iowa to be infected by the virus. A vaccinated man in Eastern Iowa was also recently infected, according to state health officials.
The child went to three stores while infectious. People who visited the following stores might have been exposed:
Johnson County Public Health wants people who were at those stores at those times to submit their information in an online survey and monitor themselves for symptoms.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that causes a widespread red and blotchy rash. It can kill people by also causing pneumonia and brain inflammation.
The virus was eliminated in the United States in 2000 through vaccination, but occasional outbreaks happen when residents travel to other countries and become infected. This year's national outbreak is the worst since 2019.
An investigation is pending into whether the recently infected man in Iowa — who is between the ages of 18 and 40 — might have contracted the disease because he traveled, according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
The first infection this year in Iowa was associated with travel. The person was a woman of similar age in central Iowa who was not vaccinated against measles. She developed symptoms in May.
The state health department did not immediately respond to a request to identify the counties in which the infections were discovered.
Iowa has among the lowest rates of measles vaccination in the country, according to kindergarten vaccination data compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 89 percent of kindergarten students in the 2023-2024 school year in Iowa were vaccinated.
The CDC recommends vaccination rates of at least 95 percent to prevent outbreaks. None of Iowa's neighboring states achieved that mark in that school year. Nebraska was closest at about 94 percent. Wisconsin was lowest at about 85 percent.
Childhood measles vaccination rates have waned since 2019, when the last significant outbreak occurred. That year, 1,274 infections were confirmed in the United States.
There have been about 100 fewer cases this year so far nationwide, and the infection rate has slowed since its peak in late March, when 116 cases were identified in a week, CDC data show.
Iowa's three measles infections this year exceed the two infections in 2019.
This year’s outbreak was first identified in western Texas in January. The state has since confirmed nearly 750 cases, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The vast majority of those infected were not vaccinated against measles. Two unvaccinated school-age children have died in Texas after being infected.
www.thegazette.com
An unvaccinated child was infected by measles recently while visiting another country and might have exposed Coralville and Iowa City residents to the virus about a week ago, according to Johnson County Public Health.
The child is the third known person in Iowa to be infected by the virus. A vaccinated man in Eastern Iowa was also recently infected, according to state health officials.
The child went to three stores while infectious. People who visited the following stores might have been exposed:
- Costco at 2900 Heartland Dr., Coralville, on June 4 between 11:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.
- Walmart at 919 Highway 1 West in Iowa City, on June 4 between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m.
- Marshalls at 1451 Coral Ridge Ave. in Coralville, on June 5 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Johnson County Public Health wants people who were at those stores at those times to submit their information in an online survey and monitor themselves for symptoms.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that causes a widespread red and blotchy rash. It can kill people by also causing pneumonia and brain inflammation.
The virus was eliminated in the United States in 2000 through vaccination, but occasional outbreaks happen when residents travel to other countries and become infected. This year's national outbreak is the worst since 2019.
An investigation is pending into whether the recently infected man in Iowa — who is between the ages of 18 and 40 — might have contracted the disease because he traveled, according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
The first infection this year in Iowa was associated with travel. The person was a woman of similar age in central Iowa who was not vaccinated against measles. She developed symptoms in May.
The state health department did not immediately respond to a request to identify the counties in which the infections were discovered.
Iowa has among the lowest rates of measles vaccination in the country, according to kindergarten vaccination data compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 89 percent of kindergarten students in the 2023-2024 school year in Iowa were vaccinated.
The CDC recommends vaccination rates of at least 95 percent to prevent outbreaks. None of Iowa's neighboring states achieved that mark in that school year. Nebraska was closest at about 94 percent. Wisconsin was lowest at about 85 percent.
Childhood measles vaccination rates have waned since 2019, when the last significant outbreak occurred. That year, 1,274 infections were confirmed in the United States.
There have been about 100 fewer cases this year so far nationwide, and the infection rate has slowed since its peak in late March, when 116 cases were identified in a week, CDC data show.
Iowa's three measles infections this year exceed the two infections in 2019.
This year’s outbreak was first identified in western Texas in January. The state has since confirmed nearly 750 cases, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The vast majority of those infected were not vaccinated against measles. Two unvaccinated school-age children have died in Texas after being infected.
UPDATED: Unvaccinated Johnson County child infected by measles
County health officials say the child went into several stores in Coralville and Iowa City on June 4 and 5 and might have exposed others to the virus. It is the third known infection in Iowa this year.
www.thegazette.com
