A measles outbreak centered in Minneapolis now has 73 confirmed cases, surpassing the total number of cases reported in the entire United States last year, with no sign of slowing. Health officials worry that the holy month of Ramadan, which began Friday night and brings Muslims together in prayer and festivities, will accelerate the spread of the highly infectious and potentially deadly disease.
The Somali American community has been the epicenter of the outbreak. Minnesota health officials are working closely with faith leaders in an unprecedented effort to spread the message that parents should get their children vaccinated and keep them home if they show symptoms of the disease. The imams are taking on the anti-vaccine movement, which has spread misinformation about the dangers of vaccines and led to a dramatic reduction in the vaccination rate among preschool children.
| |  | | Democracy Dies in Darkness | | | | | | Health Alert | Thu., Jun. 01, 2017 2:01 p.m. | | | | | | Measles outbreak in Minnesota surpasses last year's total for the entire country | A measles outbreak centered in Minneapolis now has 73 confirmed cases, surpassing the total number of cases reported in the entire United States last year, with no sign of slowing. Health officials worry that the holy month of Ramadan, which began Friday night and brings Muslims together in prayer and festivities, will accelerate the spread of the highly infectious and potentially deadly disease.
The Somali American community has been the epicenter of the outbreak. Minnesota health officials are working closely with faith leaders in an unprecedented effort to spread the message that parents should get their children vaccinated and keep them home if they show symptoms of the disease. The imams are taking on the anti-vaccine movement, which has spread misinformation about the dangers of vaccines and led to a dramatic reduction in the vaccination rate among preschool children. | | Read more » | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment