In the 4-week period January 3-30, 1982 (reporting weeks 1-4),
36
cases of measles were reported to CDC--an average of 9 cases per
week. This total is 71.4% below the 126 cases reported in the same
period in 1981. It is also a record low for any 4-week period in
any
reporting year. Only 0.6% (18) of the nation's 3,144 counties
reported any measles to CDC in this period (Figure 2).
Of the 36 measles cases reported, 4 were imported, each from a
different country: Australia, Canada, England, and Jamaica. The
imported cases were reported to have occurred in Hawaii, New York
City
(2), and Vermont. Three of the importations involved U.S.
citizens,
and 1 involved a foreign citizen.
An additional 9 of the 36 reported measles cases occurred
following transmission from imported cases. Thus, all cases
in 6 of the 10 states reporting measles during this period were
either
imported measles cases or secondary to imported measles cases:
Hawaii, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia.
In
4 of these states, the cases were part of a multi-state outbreak of
measles resulting from an earlier importation from El Salvador
(1-2).
Reported by Immunization Div, Center for Prevention Svcs, CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: The 36 measles cases reported in the first 4 weeks
of
1982 represent a 99.9% reduction from the 31,411 cases reported in
the
same period in 1962, the year preceding measles-vaccine licensure.
Moreover, the total is a record low for any 4-week period since
1925,
when communicable disease reporting on a regular weekly basis was
instituted in all states. Importations played a major part in
measles
activity during this 4-week period, since more than one-third
(13/36,
36.1%) of the cases were either importations or resulted from
importations. During this period, 99.4% of the nation's counties
reported no measles, suggesting that measles transmission has been
interrupted in these areas.
References
CDC. Measles, United States--Weeks 45-48, 1981. MMWR
1981;30:621-2.
CDC. Measles, United States--Weeks 49-52, 1981. MMWR
1982;31:16-7.
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