USA: About 20,000 feared infected with Measles in Kentucky

Tens of thousands may have been exposed to measles at a religious gathering in Kentucky, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The CDC, formally acknowledged that it was aware of a confirmed case of measles in an unvaccinated individual suspected to be contagious. The infected person attended a large religious gathering in Kentucky on February 17 and February 18.

"Large numbers of people that attended the gathering from across Kentucky and from other states and countries may have been exposed," the US CDC said in a statement.

"An estimated 20,000 people attended the gathering on the days that the patient attended. The Kentucky department for public health is actively working with CDC and clinicians to help identify if there are additional cases," it added

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Kentucky potential measles outbreak: What was the religious event about?

The Kentucky event was a multi-week religious gathering in the premises of Asbury University in Wilmore. The gathering, named"revival", began on campus on 8 February> It saw between 10,000 and 20,000 people gathering inthe 6,000-person town.

ALSO WATCH |UNICEF warns against global measles outbreaks after cases surge across the globe

On 24 February, Asbury University in an official statement said that state officials confirmed a case of measles in a Jessamine county resident. The resident was unvaccinated and had alsoattended the revival on 18 February, the university said.

The university has asked people who attended the "revival" service to get quarantined.

ALSO READ |Explained: India’s financial capital Mumbai battles measles outbreak, over 500 infected

“Attendees who are unvaccinated are encouraged to quarantine for 21 days and to seek immunization with the measles vaccine, which is safe and effective," Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky department of public health, said in an official statement.

How dangerous is measles?

Measles is highly contagious due to its airborne nature. Itcan be dangerous for infants and young children.

According to the CDC, the disease is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90 per cent of people close to the individual will become infected if they are not vaccinated.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Measles: Symptoms and prevention

The symptoms of Measles include high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles. One dose is about 93% effective, as per the CDC.