BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — The New York State Department of Health has issued a health advisory due to a measles outbreak across the U.S. and Canada, following the first measles death in the U.S. in a decade.
An unvaccinated school-aged child from Texas died from measles this week, prompting health officials to urge parents to vaccinate their children.
“That's an incredibly contagious disease,” remarked Dr. Rachel Kaufman, a local pediatrician.
The Erie County Department of Health emphasized the importance of the MMR vaccine in preventing further cases.
"Measles is preventable," said Dr. Gale Burstein, Erie County Health Commissioner, noting that there hasn't been a measles case in the county since 2018.
Dr. Burstein highlighted that measles poses a significant risk to vulnerable populations.
“This really affects the most vulnerable people," said Dr. Burstein. “It affects children. We know that pregnant people can get very sick. Our older adults can also get very, very sick, people who are immunocompromised.”
Experts said it can easily be prevented with a vaccination. Children one year to 15 months are encouraged to get the first dose of the MMR vaccine, then another between the ages of 4 to 6.
Dr. Kaufman from Buffalo Pediatric Associates addressed vaccine hesitancy. She told me there's a lot of "fear and misunderstanding" about this vaccine.
“What do you tell any patients that are hesitant to receive a vaccine?” I asked.
"There is no one size fits all to helping people see different points of view," Dr. Kaufman said. "I usually get them to talk about what is driving their particular fear."
Vaccination rates in Erie County are at 87%, higher than the state's 81%.
The state measures this by looking at the percentage of children under the age of three who have received at least one dose of the MMR vaccine by the time they turn two.
Both doctors explained why measles is so contagious.
"People who are incubating measles from say Texas, New Mexico, or somewhere else that has an outbreak – gets on a plane – all those people on the plane are exposed,” Dr. Burstein explained.
"This one is the air and their very tiny viral particles, and it doesn't take very many particles to get infected if you don't have underlying protection,” Kaufman said.
Dr. Kaufman explained that measles begins with a fever, cough, runny nose, and sores in the mouth – all before the rash begins.
“And it starts right here and spreads down the whole body like rain and that usually happens three or four days after the person first gets sick,” described Dr. Kaufman.
Health experts told me vaccines are important in preventing death and disease.
