California is one of more than 20 states being monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a measles outbreak among unvaccinated children.

CDC officials stated Tuesday that there have been 107 cases of measles already reported this year across 21 states, the majority of which having been diagnosed in children who have not been vaccinated.

In 2017, the CDC reported 118 total cases, and the year before that 86 total cases were reported. This year’s number is likely to outpace both these figures, officials said.

“Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that spreads from person to person through coughing or sneezing,” said Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, MD, MPH, interim health officer for Los Angeles County. “To protect individual health and to prevent the spread of measles to others, we urge residents who are not immunized to get the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine as soon as possible. Two doses of MMR vaccine is highly effective in preventing measles and is the best way to protect against disease.”

Although not previously common in the United States, the CDC claims measles can still be found in Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Africa, and can be brought to the United States via travelers. In the summertime, many families in the Santa Clarita Valley travel to locations throughout the globe and should be cautious of the many diseases still prevalent there.

In 2014, the record for measles diagnoses was set with 667 reports made from 27 states, and 2011 is currently in second place with 220 reported cases.

In 2015, an outbreak of measles was linked to Disneyland in Anaheim, believed to have been caused by an individual visiting the park who had contracted the virus while travelling overseas. The number of reported cases that year was 188.

Measles is an airborne virus which can be spread through coughing and sneezing. Symptoms usually begin to show 10-14 days after being exposed to the virus.

Measles typically begins with a high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. Two to three days after initial symptoms, tiny white spots known as Koplik spots may appear inside the mouth, according to the CDC website.

Three to five days after symptoms begin, a rash consisting of flat red spots appears on the hairline and spreads down towards the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. After some time, small red bumps may appear on the flat spots and the fever may spike to 104 degrees.

The states currently being monitored due to an outbreak include: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Washington D.C.

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