The state has confirmed one more case of measles in Georgia, of a metro Atlantan diagnosed after traveling overseas. The person was unvaccinated.
It’s Georgia’s seventh confirmed case during this outbreak. The state Department of Public Health is notifying people who may have been exposed to the patient.
Europe and the U.S. are both dealing with large measles outbreaks, fueled in part by false information spread by activists about vaccination. State and federal officials are urging people to get vaccinated.
Before the measles vaccine appeared in 1963, measles killed an estimated 400 to 500 people in the U.S. each year and put 48,000 in the hospital, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of the people close to that person who have not been vaccinated or are not immune will also become infected,” State Epidemiologist Cherie Drenzek said in a statement Thursday.
Experts have noted that Atlanta's position as a transportation hub puts it at greater risk for infectious diseases. People at the airport come into contact with each other as they travel to and from places with different conditi0ns and health protocols. Then they come into contact with people who work in the airport and then people in their own community.
Measles virus travels in tiny mist droplets from breath and coughing. It can live in the air and on surfaces for two to three hours.
About the Author
