Communities Need 'Herd Immunity' to Prevent Measles Outbreaks

Health & Wellness

Communities Need ‘Herd Immunity’ to Prevent Measles Outbreaks

By
Dana Sparks

February 1, 2015

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "The United States experienced a record number of measles cases during 2014, with 644 cases from 27 states reported to CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). This is the greatest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000."

Pediatrician with the Mayo Clinic Children's Center, Robert Jacobson, M.D., who also leads the Employee and Community Health (ECH) Research Initiative at Mayo Clinic, says measles is a horrific disease and up to 40 percent of patients may need hospitalization.