Clark County health officials reported an additional three confirmed measles cases on Friday, bringing the outbreak total to 68. Four of the cases were in adults.
In addition, two suspect cases are being investigated.
All 68 cases were either unimmunized (59), underimmunized (2) or unverified (7).
To date, the majority of lab results of confirmed cases have matched a wild strain of virus circulating in Eastern Europe.
Measles outbreak in Ukraine: 21,000+ cases in 2019
Measles can be serious in all age groups. However, children younger than 5 years and adults older than 20 years are more likely to suffer from measles complications. Common complications of measles include ear infection, pneumonia and diarrhea. As many as one out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children.
About one child out of every 1,000 who get measles will develop encephalitis (swelling of the brain) that can lead to convulsions and can leave the child deaf or with intellectual disability. Measles may cause pregnant women to give birth prematurely or to have a low-birth-weight baby.
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Immunization is the best prevention for measles.
“The measles vaccine isn’t perfect, but one dose is 93 percent effective at preventing illness,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County health officer and Public Health director. “The recommended two doses of the measles vaccine provide even greater protection – 97 percent.”
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