U.S. has first measles death since 2003
OLYMPIA, Wash., July 2 (UPI) — A woman in Clallum County, Washington, died in February of pneumonia due to undetected measles, health officials announced.
The death is the first in the United States credited to measles since 2003.
Officials believe the 20-year-old woman contracted the disease at a medical facility during a recent measles outbreak in the county.
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The woman, who had several other conditions and was on medications that suppressed her immune system, was there at the same time as a person who developed a rash and became contagious. The infection wasn’t discovered until during an autopsy after the woman died because she did not show the common symptoms of the disease.
People with compromised immune systems cannot be vaccinated for measles, and the disease can still be contracted even with vaccination if a person’s immune system is compromised for some reason, officials said.
Measles is easily spread when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, even before the appearance of a rash. The disease can be contracted simply by walking into a room a couple hours after someone with measles has been there.
“This tragic situation illustrates the importance of immunizing as many people as possible to provide a high level of community protection against measles,” officials said in a press release.
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