Measles Outbreak Growing in Arizona

By Connie Cone Sexton and Paulina Pineda. Two more cases of measles were confirmed in Arizona on Tuesday, and public health officials have warned that hundreds more people in the state may have been exposed this month.

Both of the cases confirmed Tuesday — a man in Pinal County and a woman in Phoenix — were linked to a family of four whose measles cases were confirmed last week following travel to Disneyland in California.

The outbreak of measles has reached “a critical point,” according to Will Humble, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. The outbreak has the potential to be far worse than the state’s last measles outbreak in 2008, he said. (Read more about the measles outbreak HERE)

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Chicago Announces First Case of Measles

By Warner Todd Huston. As an outbreak of measles linked to several California Disney theme parks mounts, other states are also seeing measles appear. This week, for instance, a suburb of Chicago has announced its first case of the year.

Illinois Public Health Director Nirav Shah reported that the case was identified earlier this month and marks only the tenth case of measles in the last five years.

“This case in Illinois is a reminder of the importance of immunizations,” Shah said. “Immunizations are vital to protect not only each child, but the community as a whole.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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