Indicator Profile of Measles Infections
Why Is This Important?
Measles is caused by a virus and is a very contagious disease that can be particularly serious in infants and adults. Although measles usually lasts only one to two weeks, it can cause such complications as pneumonia, ear infections, and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). In very young or malnourished patients, blindness can occur.Measles is a common and often fatal disease in developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there were 30-40 million cases and 745,000 deaths from measles in 2001.
Before measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, more than one half million cases of measles were reported annually in the United States. Due to intensive efforts to vaccinate pre-school aged children, reported cases of measles has declined rapidly.
The United States has established the goal of eliminating the transmission of endemic measles strains. Current surveillance data indicate this goal has been achieved.
Data Notes
The U.S. rates are derived from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports. The Utah rates are derived from Utah annual surveillance reports.Data Sources
Utah Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology;Definition
Number of reported culture-confirmed cases of measles infections per 100,000 population.How We Calculated the Rates
| Numerator: | Number of confirmed indigeneous measles cases. |
| Denominator: | Total Utah population. |
Page Content Updated On 06/10/08,
Published on 06/13/08
