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FILE: Photo illustration of a bottle containing a measles vaccine, on Jan. 28, 2015.<\/p>\n
Joe Raedle\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
San Francisco health officials Monday confirmed the city\u2019s first\u00a0measles<\/a> case in seven years after an unvaccinated infant was diagnosed with the disease.<\/p>\n The confirmation, announced in a Wednesday news release<\/a>, marks the first time since 2019 a measles infection was reported in the city. The infant is younger than 12 months old, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and so was below the age recommended for routine measles vaccination. The department said the child was exposed to the disease in another country and became ill after returning to San Francisco. They are now recovering at home, according to the release, and, \u201cThe infant\u2019s household contacts all report being vaccinated.\u201d Public health workers are tracing additional exposures.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that spreads through coughing, sneezing or breathing shared air and can linger in indoor spaces for up to two hours, according to the World Health Organization<\/a>. While many of those infected recover after about 10 days, the disease can lead to serious complications including pneumonia, brain swelling and death, particularly in young children.<\/p>\n UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong emphasized that the risk to the general public remains low, citing high vaccination rates in the city and limited spread within the household.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just means that measles is really everywhere,\u201d\u00a0Chin-Hong told SFGATE. \u201cInfectious disease doesn\u2019t respect any borders.\u201d<\/p>\n Chin-Hong noted that San Francisco\u2019s measles immunization coverage \u2014 likely above 95%<\/a> \u2014 creates strong community protection, making widespread transmission unlikely even in crowded settings. In areas with lower vaccination rates, he added, measles can spread \u201clike wildfire\u201d due to gaps in immunity.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cChances that those people are passing it on to someone is very, very low in San Francisco,\u201d Ching-Hong said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The case also highlights a specific vulnerability for infants as measles cases increase in the U.S. Routine measles vaccination through the MMR series begins at 12 months.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n