Health professionals are strongly warning travelers heading abroad to get vaccinated for measles and other diseases before making their trip.
This after a record number of measles in the U.S. this year, most as a result of unvaccinated travelers visiting places such as Asia, the Pacific and Africa, then returning home and bringing the disease with them.
So far this year, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) in Atlanta said there has been 334 confirmed cases this year, the highest in more than two decades. Minnesota is one of 18 states where there has been cases and outbreaks. Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio and Illinois are other Midwestern states where measles have been reported.
Measles is still common in many parts of the world including some countries in Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. The Philippines is experiencing a large, ongoing measles outbreak. Twenty-two of the cases in the U.S. in 2014 have been associated with cases brought in from the Philippines, the CDC said.
"Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease that's best prevented with an MMR vaccine," said Dr. Mark Sannes, chair of infectious disease for the Park Nicollet Travel Clinic. "Although it was declared eliminated in this country more than 10 years ago, the disease is still present in other parts of the world. That's why it's a good idea for anyone planning travel abroad to schedule an appointment with a travel clinic before leaving the country."
Sannes also noted that polio is on the rise in other countries and the World Health Organization says 10 countries are in a polio outbreak at present. Other diseases to watch out for and get vaccinated for include hepatitis A and B, typhoid, malaria, rabies, yellow fever and travelers' diarrhea.
Sannes said travelers often think they are immune to such diseases, but without proper precaution can be susceptible. That is why travelers should should get vaccinated four to six weeks before their trip, but last-minute appointments are possible, he said.
