Pennsylvania issues alert on congenital measles—something US hasn't seen for decades
Congenital measles can be fatal, and survivors require monitoring for years.
Congenital measles can be fatal, and survivors require monitoring for years.
The short version
- Pennsylvania’s health department issued a health alert Monday as cases of measles in pregnancy and, in turn, cases of congenital measles have continued to increase.
- Before the current outbreak—which continues to rage across the state—congenital measles cases hadn’t been seen in decades, the department noted in its advisory.
- The alert included detailed clinical guidance for managing measles exposures and cases during pregnancy as well as cases in newborns.
What happened
Many doctors have never seen such cases in their careers given the decades of successful use of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. But now, with vaccination rates slipping nationwide, the highly infectious virus is better able to get footholds in communities and spread rapidly through under-vaccinated pockets, as is happening in Pennsylvania.
Why it matters
As of October 19, Pennsylvania had reported 1,286 measles cases this year across 42 counties.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.