(The Center Square) – A child under age 5 from Arapahoe County has contracted measles after traveling internationally, Colorado health officials said.
The child is the sixth individual in the state confirmed to have measles this year. That’s the highest number of cases on record over the last decade in Colorado.
The child, who’s unvaccinated and remains in the hospital, had “recently traveled with family to multiple international locations with increased measles cases,” according to a news release from Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and multiple local health departments.
CDPHE did not immediately respond to The Center Square’s request for comment on the international locations the child visited.
“The patient is placed on appropriate isolation so there’s no ongoing exposure risk to other patients and families at the hospital,” the news release said. “CDPHE continues to urge Coloradans to get vaccinated.”
The health departments listed seven known exposure locations and times around Aurora over the last week.
The fifth confirmed measles case from April came after a Denver resident had recently traveled to Chihuahua, Mexico. Other confirmed cases have been in Archuleta County, Denver and Pueblo.
A recent possible measles exposure took place May 13-14 when a traveler with the virus arrived at Denver International Airport on an international flight, stayed the night at a nearby hotel, then boarded a domestic flight the next day, CDPHE said last week.
Across the U.S., there have been 1,046 confirmed cases of measles as of May 22, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last updated its dashboard. Of those cases, 96% didn’t have the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine or their vaccination status is unknown.
The largest outbreak has been seen in Texas, where there are 729 confirmed cases as of Tuesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
According to the CDC, “Measles cases in the United States originate from unvaccinated international travelers. You should be vaccinated against measles at least two weeks before international travel.”
Besides Colorado and Texas, the CDC said cases have been reported in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York state, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington state.
