(The Center Square) – A measles outbreak, which started in August, continuces to impact the communities surrounding the Utah and Arizona border.
Currently Utah has 583 measles cases, with 249 in the southwestern part of the state. Arizona has 292 cases, with 275 in Mohave County. These numbers are as of Tuesday, when the states both last updated their numbers.
Measles cases have increased on a “fairly steady basis” over the last month, according to David Heaton, a public information officer for the Southwest Utah Public Health Department. The department has jurisdiction in five counties: Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane and Washington.
Heaton told The Center Square that the measles outbreak is considered to be community-spread, which he described as “pretty contagious.”
The rest of the measles cases in Utah “appear to be connected” to Southwestern Utah’s outbreak, he explained.
Over the last month, rather than being concentrated in the southwest part of the state, the outbreak has spread throughout Utah, Heaton said.
Southwest Utah makes up 43% of the state’s measles cases.
The University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy labeled Utah as the current epicenter for the measles outbreak in America.
So far this year, Utah has had 386 new measles cases, with 121 of them in the last three weeks.
Southwestern Utah has seen the majority of its measles cases among the unvaccinated, Heaton noted.
He said the state is asking parents who are hesitant about the measles vaccine to at least consider getting the first measles shot, which he said provides 90% protection against the disease.
The public information officer also said Utah is asking people who think they may have measles to call the health care facility they’re visiting ahead of time. That will allow staff members to take precautions and prevent those facilities from being turned into exposure sites.
In Arizona, Nicole Witt, the assistant director of preparedness at the state’s Department of Health Services, said the department is “continually concerned about measles” and its spread in the state.
She told The Center Square that Arizona has 72 measles cases so far this year.
Regarding Mohave County, the ADHS has seen a “much slower rate of cases,” which Witt said the department is “happy to see.”
Since the measles outbreak began in August, Witt said Arizona and Utah have been working closely together, discussing the outbreak along their shared border during weekly meetings.
“We stay on alert and continue to work with our local and federal partners as well as the state of Utah on monitoring” the measles outbreak, Witt said.
She told The Center Square there is a lot of movement seen across the border between Arizona and Utah, noting many residents in Mohave County will go to Utah to seek medical care, shop or attend school.
In recent weeks, Coconino County, which borders Mohave County, has seen two additional measles cases, according to Witt. She said the department is “working closely with the county in supporting [its] response.”
Mohave County has seen an increase in measles vaccination, Witt said, noting the local health department has done a lot of work to promote the measles vaccine.
According to the assistant director, 97% of the measles cases in Arizona are among the unvaccinated population.
She called the measles vaccine the “best protection” against the disease, saying the vaccine provides 97% protection against measles if people receive both doses.
Witt said people who are considering getting the measles vaccine should contact their health care provider if they have any questions.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no person in America who has gotten measles this year has died from it. Furthermore, the CDC said 5% of measles cases resulted in hospitalization.
