| ■ Indiana Girl Source of 2005 U.S. Measles Outbreak | 06.12.26 |
| A 17-year-old girl who didn't get vaccinated before she traveled to Romania was the source of last year's measles outbreak in Indiana and Illinois that affected 34 people. It was the largest measles outbreak in the Unites States in a decade. Three people were hospitalized as a result of the outbreak, but there were no deaths, the Associated Press reported. The outbreak accounted for more than half of the 66 measles cases in the United States in 2005. The girl, a resident of Indiana, unknowingly brought the measles back home after her trip to Romania, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. "The outbreak occurred because measles was imported into a population of children whose parents had chosen not to vaccinate their children because of safety concerns, despite evidence that measles-containing vaccine is safe and effective," the CDC said. The agency said most of the other 32 measles cases in 2005 originated in other countries, the AP reported. Of those 32 cases, 16 involved U.S. residents who were infected by measles while traveling abroad, and seven cases involved foreign visitors who were infected before they came to the United States. ----- Yahoo HealthDay |