North Dakota confirmed its first measles case since 2011 on Friday, involving an unvaccinated child in Williams County who likely contracted the disease from an out-of-state visitor. The child is isolated at home as health authorities conduct contact tracing. Nationwide, the CDC reports 935 measles cases with 121 hospitalizations and three deaths. Texas leads with nearly 700 cases, while outbreaks are also occurring in six other states. Health officials warn of the disease’s extreme contagiousness amid declining vaccination rates, with North Dakota’s kindergarten MMR vaccination rate dropping from 95% to 90% since 2019-2020, below the threshold needed for herd immunity. Experts cite growing vaccine skepticism following the COVID-19 pandemic as a key concern.
Comments