Updated
Updated · WHYY · Jul 21
Delaware Confirms 1st Measles Case in 10-Plus Years as Contact Tracing Begins
Updated
Updated · WHYY · Jul 21

Delaware Confirms 1st Measles Case in 10-Plus Years as Contact Tracing Begins

3 articles · Updated · WHYY · Jul 21

Summary

  • Delaware on Monday confirmed its first measles case in more than a decade, involving an unvaccinated adult man in Kent County.
  • State health officials are conducting extensive contact tracing and will notify exposed people, check their vaccination status and recommend treatment when needed.
  • The Division of Public Health urged residents to verify records through the DelVAX portal or their doctors, noting two MMR doses are 97% effective for people who are not severely immunocompromised.
  • More than 100 measles cases have already been confirmed in Pennsylvania this year, including at least 72 tied to an outbreak that began in late April in the Lebanon-Lancaster area.

Insights

With a single measles case costing over $43,000, are public health systems truly prepared for the economic toll of a wider outbreak?
As the U.S. risks losing its measles elimination status, how fragile is our modern shield of herd immunity?