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At least one Hawaii resident has been infected with measles, according to a report.
Officials with the state’s Department of Health confirmed the case on Tuesday, according to Hawaii News Now, which added the resident contracted the virus while traveling to another state.
“Because CDC reports cases based on their area of residence, the individual is counted as a Hawaii case even though they contracted the disease in another state,” health officials told the news outlet in a statement. “If DOH had any reported measles case that was locally transmitted, we would announce the information immediately.”
MEASLES CASES IN US HIGHEST SINCE 1992, CDC SAYS
No other details were provided.
The case comes after New York City officials this week declared an end the largest measles outbreak the city has seen in nearly 30 years.
Officials said New York City spent more than $6 million to combat the outbreak, which primarily affected Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn. More than 500 staff were involved in response efforts, which included disseminating pro-vaccination booklets, distributing educational materials in multiple languages, and attending community events, among other efforts.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air after an infected person coughs or sneezes. Others can contract measles when they breathe the contaminated air or touch a contaminated surface, and then touch their eyes, nose or mouth.
NEW YORK CITY’S LARGEST MEASLES OUTBREAK IN NEARLY 30 YEARS HAS ENDED, OFFICIALS SAY
Infected people can spread measles to others from four days before through four days after the rash appears,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.
The MMR vaccine can protect both individuals and other people from contracting the virus.
Separately, last week federal health officials announced the U.S. is experiencing the highest number of measles cases since the early 1990s. The CDC in its weekly measles cases and outbreaks report said there are 1,215 confirmed measles cases in the U.S., representing an increase of 12 cases from the week before.
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