Measles outbreaks continue to pop up across the United States, with the number of confirmed cases of the once-eradicated disease now exceeding 700 in 22 states \u2014 but so far, only one person in Colorado has become ill with the highly contagious virus.<\/p>\n
In January, a Denver resident was placed in isolation and treated for the respiratory illness<\/a> after being diagnosed following a trip abroad, leading local health officials to issue a public warning about possible exposure to others.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the only confirmed case of measles in Colorado this year, but health experts said the state\u2019s notoriously low vaccination rate makes communities here vulnerable to a possible outbreak.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen it happen over and over in communities where the vaccination rate is low,\u201d said Dr. Jessica Cataldi, a pediatrician at Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado and vaccine researcher.<\/p>\n Only 88.7 percent of the state\u2019s kindergarteners received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine during the 2017-18 school year, making it one of the lowest rates in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/a><\/p>\n Read the full story on The Denver Post website, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n