US CDC urges Americans to get vaccinated for measles before travelling abroad

LOS ANGELES - The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has urged Americans to get vaccinated for measles before travelling abroad, said Xinhua.

Measles is extremely contagious. One person infected by measles can infect nine out of ten of their unvaccinated close contacts, according to a CDC report issued this week.

As of June 8, 2023, the CDC has been notified of 16 confirmed US measles cases across 11 jurisdictions, with 88 per cent linked to international travel.

Based on current estimates, twice as many Americans are planning to travel internationally in 2023 compared with 2022. Many countries and popular travel destinations, such as England, have experienced measles outbreaks in recent years, according to the CDC.

The United States has seen an increase in measles cases during the first five months of 2023, with 16 reported cases compared with three in 2022 during the same period. Most of these cases were among children who had not received measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to the CDC.

The CDC urges all US residents to be up to date on their MMR vaccinations, especially prior to international travel regardless of the destination. - Bernama