Are Measles Still a Thing in Washington State?

Are Measles Still a Thing in Washington State?

I remember when I was eight years old and got chicken pox for the first time. My foster mom found out that my little girlfriend Melanie had them so she said "Go talk to Melanie" and of course a few days later, I had chicken pox.

What You Need To Know About Measles In Washington State

Luckily I've had my measles shots and never have had the measles but it did get me thinking. I know we live in an era of anti-vaccinations so I wanted to deep dive a little bit to see if measles was still a big deal in Washington State.

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Measles was eradicated back in 2000 but has steadily made a comeback in Washington State:

According to the CDC:

As of September 5, 2024, a total of 247 measles cases were reported by 29 jurisdictions: Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

There have been 13 outbreaks (defined as 3 or more related cases) reported in 2024, and 70% of cases (173 of 247) are outbreak-associated. For comparison, 4 outbreaks were reported during 2023 and 49% of cases (29 of 59) were outbreak-associated.

A disease once thought eradicated is back and health officials believe international travel is the #1 source and outbreaks often start when an unvaccinated or under-vaccinated person.

So yes, measles could become a concern again in Washington State. It's best to be informed about the symptoms of measles as kids start school again.

You can get more information on the spread of measles here.