BOISE, ID – The number of people infected with measles in Utah has grown to 559 in nine months, with hundreds of cases being reported in less than a month and several exposures in high-traffic spots, including the state’s flagship university.
Now, with 318 cases so far this year, Utah has the second-highest count of measles cases in the country, after South Carolina, which counted 668 infections, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The 559 figure is something Utah hasn’t witnessed in more than 40 years, Dr. Leisha Nolen, the state epidemiologist, said on Thursday. The disease had been practically eliminated thanks to the wide distribution of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. However, as vaccination rates drop nationwide, measles has appeared in multiple communities across the state…