A Measles Outbreak Is Growing In Arizona

An outbreak of measles in Arizona may continue to spread, health officials warn. The infectious virus was first detected at a federal detention center for immigrants in Eloy, Arizona when a detainee with measles was brought in, Joe Pyritz, Pinal County public information officer told HuffPost. The virus soon spread to a detention center staffer, Pyritz said, even though the staffer had previously been vaccinated against measles. The first two confirmed cases were made public on Thursday and as of Tuesday, that number had jumped to 11 confirmed cases. Currently, seven detainees and four staffers have been diagnosed. The vaccination statuses of the detainees are unknown, but all four staffers had been vaccinated against the measles, said Pyritz.  Currently, all detainees and staffers at the Eloy Detention Center are being vaccinated against measles, Pyritz confirmed, and the detainees who have the measles are practicing "self-isolation." The potential exposure area spans two counties: Maricopa and Pinal in central Arizona. Health officials are urging anyone in those two counties to be on the alert about rash and fever -- two common symptoms of measles, and to let their hospital or doctor know ahead of time that they may have been exposed. This can prevent additional exposures in emergency departments or doctor’s office waiting rooms. State health officials have listed 14 potential areas besides the detention center where others may have also ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news