Utah health experts and pediatricians are urging measles vaccinations as school is beginning and cases are continuing to be diagnosed each week in Utah.<\/p>\n
Dr. T.W. Jones, a pediatric disease specialist, said he has interacted with children who have been hospitalized with measles and their families, seeing a disease that had been eradicated when he was a child cause significant illness now.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not the common cold; it is not just a mild case of sniffles. Even the best case of measles is rough, families miss work, kids miss school, it costs them hundreds of dollars sometimes. \u2026 and when it goes badly, it goes really badly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He spoke at a press conference on Tuesday hosted by the Utah Academy of Family Physicians along with other doctors and health officials. Like firefighters who know smoldering cinders can lead to a fire reigniting, doctors know just one or two measles cases can cause many more if the conditions are right, he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes me worry, personally, as a pediatric disease specialist,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Vaccinations<\/p>\n
Today, Jones said, more children are immunocompromised than when the measles vaccine was first introduced, like organ recipients or kids receiving new medications for diseases that may not have had a treatment then. He said those children are \u201cprofoundly vulnerable\u201d to measles, and it could be life-threatening.<\/p>\n
Utah Department of Health and Human Services statistics show only a few cases over the last few weeks, but data from wastewater sampling shows there could be more undiagnosed cases.<\/p>\n
State epidemiologist Leisha Nolen said the health department is \u201cvery worried\u201d about what will happen with measles when school starts and the weather gets colder. She said now is the time to get children protected.<\/p>\n
Of the over 700 Utahns who have gotten sick from measles during this outbreak, one-third have been in the emergency room and 8% have been admitted to the hospital, Nolen said. She encouraged parents to protect their families.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the time to remember to get those vaccines for your child and make sure they do not have a risk of measles,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is not something we want families to gamble with; we want to make sure their kids are as protected as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Jordan Roberts, a family physician, said he encourages his patients to ask him about vaccines instead of looking for information on the internet. He said he and his colleagues have done the research and have no reason to lie when saying the benefits of the measles vaccine outweigh any harm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only thing that we\u2019re motivated for is to keep you healthy and to be a good steward of public health,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n
He said doctors are working to reestablish trust after the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have worked hard and deserve that trust.<\/p>\n
\u201cI promise you we will give you an answer that\u2019s based in truth and not politics,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n
How to get immunized<\/p>\n
Lee Cherie Booth, immunization nurse supervisor with the Salt Lake County Health Department, said immunizations are \u201ceasier and more accessible than people think.\u201d She said they are available at local health departments, pharmacies which are often open on weekends, and at doctor or pediatrician offices.<\/p>\n