The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a press release pertaining to the number of cases of measles in the U.S. According to CDC, 107 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 21 states and the District of Columbia in 2018. Comparatively, in all of 2017, 118 people from 15 different states and the District of Columbia were reported to have measles. Though there are currently no multi-state measles outbreaks in the U.S., it is evident that measles continues to be a threat and vaccination remains an important protective measure.
NACCHO is in full support of local health departments (LHDs) working diligently to ensure individuals and families are protected from measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases. As such, NACCHO aims to further share tools and resources that can be useful to LHDs as they work to provide protection against measles to those in the communities they serve.
For more information, please see the resources below that may be useful for measles case investigation and response activities.
- A detailed epidemiological case definition, along with a surveillance and investigation guide can be found within the CDC’s Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases.
- Educational Resources for Parents and Childcare Providers
- Multimedia Resources
- Measles chapter of the Pink Book – Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Additionally, NACCHO’s LHD members have provided a wealth of knowledge gained from their endeavors in monitoring, preventing, and controlling disease to reduce the health risks and financial burden of infectious disease outbreaks, including measles.
