Measles outbreak in Texas was "completely preventable," infectious disease expert says
CBSN
As a West Texas county is dealing with a measles outbreak, experts are reminding Americans outbreaks like these can be avoided with safe, effective and available vaccines.
Health officials confirmed Tuesday that two dozen people have been identified with measles in Gaines County, Texas, which has one of the highest rates of vaccine exemptions in the entire state. All of the confirmed measles cases in the county involve unvaccinated residents, and nine patients have been hospitalized.
"It is troubling, because this was completely preventable," Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins, told "CBS News 24/7" Wednesday. "What we're seeing is, one of the places in Texas — it has the lowest vaccination rates, the highest school exemption rates from measles vaccination — having a measles outbreak, including hospitalizations of individuals who've been infected with measles."
