Utah measles cases linked to one person

SALT LAKE CITY -- Health officials in Utah are trying to contain a measles outbreak that may have infected hundreds of people who attended two recent community events.

Nine cases in the state have been linked to exposure to one unvaccinated person who contracted the disease in Poland, according to the Salt Lake Valley health department. Epidemiologists have determined that the person exposed as many as 1,000 people this month.

Measles are so contagious that if one person has it, 90 percent of those near that individual will become infected if they are not immune.

To keep the outbreak from spreading, state health officials are urging people who attended either event to contact the Utah Poison Control Center to determine if they were properly vaccinated against the measles virus. Those who attended the first event also are being asked to stay at home until April 29, and until May 1 if they attended the second event.

Nationwide, 84 measles cases have been reported this year, the most since 2008, when there were 140 cases, many traced to an outbreak in Arizona started by a Swedish tourist, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. Outbreaks also have been reported in Minnesota and New Jersey.