Kathmandu to Pokhara

Through Mar. 27, California health officials have reported 16 total measles cases in nine counties, this compares with 21 cases reported during the whole of 2018.

In 2019, two outbreaks linked to patients with international travel have been reported in California. Of the 16 confirmed measles cases, 11 outbreak-associated cases, have been reported.

Dr. James Watt with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) says the agency is “very concerned” with the rising tally.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It is widespread in many parts of the world, including Europe, Africa, and Asia. Measles begins with a fever that lasts for a couple of days, followed by a cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis (pink eye), and a rash. The rash typically appears first on the face, along the hairline, and behind the ears and then affects the rest of the body. Infected people are usually contagious from about 4 days before their rash starts to 4 days afterwards.

How contagious is measles? Answer: Very

The last large outbreak of measles in California was associated with Disneyland and occurred from December 2014-April 2015, when at least 131 California residents were infected with measles; the outbreak also infected residents of six other states, Mexico, and Canada.

From January 1 to March 21, 2019, 314 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 15 states.

The states that have reported cases to CDC are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.