Health officials in the US state of Texas have confirmed that the measles outbreak in their territory is now under control after weeks of skyrocketing cases, mostly affecting unvaccinated patients.
While their counterparts in New York City have ordered intense inspections of air conditioning systems in buildings to stop the spread of Legionnaires’ disease.
‘No new measles cases in 42 days’
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has declared that the state has not observed any new cases of measles in the last 42 days.
As of Monday, the DSHS said that there are currently 762 active cases of measles in their state alone, with two-thirds of them being children, and 94% of them are unvaccinated.
Health experts have identified Gaines County as the “ground zero” of the measles outbreak in Texas, with 54% of the total cases, equivalent to a whopping 414 confirmed patients, recorded in the said county alone.
The current measles outbreak in Texas was the biggest in the last three decades, and could have been prevented had there been a more active vaccination program.
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Experts blame sluggish vaccination program
Out of all the affected counties in Texas, particularly in the western region, Gaines County had the largest number of unvaccinated patients and individuals who gave the disease an opportunity to spread from one community to another.
Moreover, they said that the outbreak had also resulted in the death of two unvaccinated children, according to state health officials.
Doctors and health specialists have pointed to the declining number of individuals being vaccinated as a result of the spread of conspiracies against vaccines, mostly on the internet.
They warned that continuous neglect to be protected by vaccines will result in a worse public health scenario and the spread of more highly contagious diseases.
NYC battles spread of Legionnaires’ disease
Health officials in New York City have confirmed that another patient has succumbed after contracting Legionnaires’ disease, making it the fifth recorded death related to the disease.
They said that the patient was a resident of Harlem and showed symptoms comparable to the flu and severe respiratory ailments before dying.
Officials added that there are currently 108 confirmed cases, of which 14 were hospitalized.
They said that the disease came from a contaminated cooling tower in a building and had spread in rooms in the form of water vapor.
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What is Legionnaires’ disease?
The disease is caused by Legionella bacteria and usually thrives in stagnant water, in this case, in cooling towers or air conditioning systems of buildings.
The airborne disease was first observed in 1976 after more than 2,000 patients and 30 casualties reported respiratory ailments.
Despite being airborne, health experts said person-to-person transmission of Legionnaires’ disease is not possible and can only be contracted through contaminated air.
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