California sees a 10-fold increase in measles, influenza deaths continue to mount
The Golden State has reported 32 confirmed cases of the viral disease, measles, to date, representing a ten-fold increase from the same time period in 2013 when they recorded three cases, according to The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Friday.
Public domain image/National Atlas of the United States
The 32 measles cases have been reported in Alameda (1), Contra Costa (4), Los Angeles (10), Orange (6), Riverside (5), San Mateo (1), San Diego (4) and Santa Clara (1) counties.
“Immunization is the best defense against measles, with 99 percent of persons developing immunity after two doses,” says Dr. Ron Chapman, state health officer and director of CDPH. “With an outbreak in the Philippines and measles transmission ongoing in many parts of the world outside of North and South America, we can expect to see more imported cases of this vaccine-preventable disease.” Imported cases can spread to the community, especially among unvaccinated persons, including infants too young to be vaccinated.
Among the California cases with onset in 2014, seven had traveled to the Philippines, where a large outbreak is occurring, two had traveled to India and one had traveled to Vietnam, where measles is endemic.
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The flu death tally continues in California as state health officials reported 14 new confirmed influenza-related deaths in persons under 65 years of age. This brings the total to 332 confirmed deaths for the 2013-14 flu season.
There are an additional 19 deaths under investigation and not yet confirmed.
This compares to the same period in 2013 when the CDPH had received reports of 47 influenza fatalities in persons under 65 years of age. In the entire 2012-13 flu season 106 deaths were reported.
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