Rutgers Medical Expert Available to Discuss Measles Outbreak
David Cennimo, an infectious disease expert at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, is available to discuss the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s warning on how the measles outbreak can affect communities with unvaccinated people and how the public can protect themselves.
Last year, 349 cases of measles were confirmed in 26 states and the District of Columbia, the second-highest annual count since the illness was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, according to the CDC. Between October 2018 and January 2019, the New Jersey Department of Health identified 33 outbreak-associated cases: 30 confirmed cases in Ocean County and three cases in Passaic County.
“Measles is very contagious, infecting more than 90 percent of susceptible people who are exposed, which is one reason the potential for outbreaks is so high,” Cennimo said. “It can be a very severe disease, with estimates of 1 in 1,000 infected people dying. Luckily, we have the ability to offer protection from this potentially devastating infection in the form of vaccination. People who are able to receive the immunizations should do so because they never know when the may be exposed. The CDC recommends children receive their first vaccination against measles between 12 and 15 months old.”
If someone believes they are infected with measles, Cennimo recommended that they contact their healthcare provider before coming to the office to allow the provider to make arrangements to limit exposures.
Cennimo is available by contacting by contacting Tiffany Cody at 973-972-3501, 973-856-0517 or [email protected].
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