Measles Cases Rise in Michigan Amid Growing Concerns
Michigan is currently grappling with nine confirmed measles cases this year, including four linked to an expanding outbreak in Montcalm County. Public health officials emphasize the importance of maintaining patient confidentiality, refraining from disclosing specific details about the outbreak.
Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan’s chief medical executive, emphasized the importance of confidentiality, stating, “In public health, it’s so important that people want to work with us, that they feel comfortable sharing their personal information with us.”
The state is urging residents to ensure their vaccinations are up to date, as immunization rates for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) continue to decline among young children in Michigan. Presently, only 79% of children aged 19-35 months have received their MMR vaccine.
Ryan Malosh, director of the state’s division of immunization, highlighted the need for higher vaccination coverage: “What we know is in order to protect communities from outbreaks of measles you need to have vaccine coverage of about 95%.”
The vaccination status of seven of the nine individuals with measles in Michigan remains undisclosed, though Ingham County officials confirmed that two one-year-olds with measles had received their first vaccine dose, resulting in mild symptoms. More information about these cases can be found here.
Dr. Bagdasarian explained that sharing vaccination status might inadvertently reveal too much personal medical information. She noted that of the 800 confirmed measles cases in the US, 96% involved individuals who were either unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination statuses, as reported by the CDC.
Despite the rising number of cases, state officials have not reported any public exposure sites linked to the Montcalm County outbreak, which has grown from one to four cases in under two weeks. Local health officials are conducting contact tracing and thorough interviews to identify potential exposure sites.
Dr. Bagdasarian assured, “So when we say we don’t think that there are public exposures that we need to announce, that means after in-depth interviews and conversations, we don’t think that there is information that we need to share with the public.”
Current Status of the Montcalm County Outbreak
The Montcalm County outbreak, the first in Michigan since 2019, initially stemmed from a travel-related case, as confirmed by the Mid-Michigan District Health Department announcement on April 9.
Though no public exposure sites have been listed, the outbreak has been linked to a larger outbreak in Ontario, Canada, which has exceeded 800 confirmed cases. This outbreak has disproportionately affected some Mennonite, Amish, and Anabaptist communities due to lower immunization rates, according to CTV News.
A fourth case linked to the Montcalm County outbreak was recently added to Michigan’s online measles dashboard. This case has also been confirmed as part of the Montcalm County outbreak.
While inquiries were made about whether the Montcalm County cases are within Mennonite, Amish, or Anabaptist communities, Dr. Bagdasarian declined to comment, focusing instead on preventing discrimination and maintaining community trust.
The fourth Montcalm County case was confirmed on April 18, according to Brady Guilbault from the Mid-Michigan District Health Department. The case is travel-related and linked to the outbreak, though further details about the exposure remain undisclosed.
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