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Measles risk at DIA from out-of-state traveler not added to state tally

An out-of-state travel at Denver International Airport earlier this month has tested positive for measles, the state health department confirmed.

The passenger arrived at the airport on May 13 and stayed at the Quality Inn and Suites Denver International Airport while infectious before returning to catch a domestic flight the following day, according to health officials.

“This situation underscores the critical importance of vaccination,” Dr. Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist and deputy chief medical officer at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said in a statement.

“Staying up to date on vaccinations and being aware of health risks when traveling are important ways to protect yourself and your community.”

Anyone exposed to the passenger on either of the flights will be notified by their state or local public health agency, officials said.

State health officials are encouraging those who may have been exposed to measles to monitor their symptoms for 21 days and consider avoiding public gatherings or high-risk settings.

Measles is a highly contagious, but preventative respiratory illness. The disease is transmitted through direct contact with infected droplets or airborne when an individual breathes, coughs or sneezes.

Symptoms typically emerge within two weeks of exposure with a spotty red rash, the telltale sign of a measles infection. In rare cases, measles can cause swelling of the brain and death.

Before a vaccine was developed in the ‘60s, an estimated 48,000 Americans were hospitalized with measles and 500 died each year.

Measles was considered eradicated in 2000. Health officials credit a highly affective vaccination campaign.

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To date, Colorado has had five measles cases. State officials are not counting the DIA case in their official tally because the passenger is not a Colorado resident.

To put that number into perspective, before the first confirmed case earlier this year, Colorado had had just six cases over the past decade. Most years, the state doesn’t report any.

As of May 22, there have been more than 1,000 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. across 31 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The bulk of the cases nationally have been among either unvaccinated patients or those who have an unknown status.

Statewide, the vaccination rate last school year for school-age children was 93.7% — just shy of the 95% epidemiologists say is needed to prevent measles from spreading and provide what’s called “herd immunity.” Simply put, herd immunity is what occurs when enough people in a community are immune to a disease, either through infection or vaccination.

Measles cases in the United States peaked in 1990 with roughly 27,800 infections, according to the CDC. The last major case spike was in 2019 when there were 1,274 measles cases over the course of the year.

CDC officials maintain that the risk for widespread measles remains low. While a booster is not yet recommended, the CDC does encourage Americans be up-to-date on their vaccinations.

“Vaccination remains the most effective protection against this preventable disease,” Herlihy said.

Those with a measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine or who were born before 1957 — when the disease was so widespread everyone exposed to the virus developed natural immunity — are generally considered immune.

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