Travel warning - European countries affected by measles

The popular holiday season has triggered authorities to recommend people traveling to Europe to vaccinate themselves in order to stay protected from measles.

 

As the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has reported more than 14.000 measles cases since last year’s January and 35 children have died from the outbreak, the CDC had warned U.S. holiday makers to vaccinate against the disease if planning to travel across Europe this summer.

"Most measles cases in the United States are the result of international travel. Travelers get infected while abroad and bring the disease home. This can cause outbreaks here in the United States,” explains the head of CDC's travelers' health program, Dr. Gary Brunette, while underlining that the infection can have damaging health-consequences.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom are the countries that have reported measles cases during 2017. Nevertheless, the CDC has issued travel warning notices for 5 of them: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and, recently, Romania.

According to medical professionals, all U.S. travelers that did not suffer from the disease during childhood should get vaccinated before their trips to popular areas in Europe. The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine should be the product of choice for anyone aiming to protect their families during their unforgettable vacations. The vaccine should be administered at least 6 weeks before departure, in order to allow the body to properly develop the specific antibodies.

"Measles is incredibly contagious. Ninety percent of non-immune individuals will become ill with measles if they're exposed. And that exposure can be as minimal as walking into a room up until two hours after somebody infected with measles has been there. We worry about both immunocompromised patients and the very young. Those are people who can't get vaccinated. They're not able to take the live virus vaccine and then measles illness can be much more serious in those patients," Emily Hyle, M.D. and infectious disease specialist commented for CBS News.

How can you recognize measles? If getting rashes, high fever, cold symptoms, ear pain or diarrhea, seek medical attention as soon as possible, especially if you have just visited one of the aforementioned European countries and did not get your shot before the trip.

Source: cbsnews.com