Urgent Care Can Help Curb the Measles Explosion by Educating Patients and Parents

The United States passed an unfortunate milestone this week when the number of confirmed measles cases reached 1,000 (and surpassed it actually, to 1,001). It’s the worst outbreak since 1992 and comes 19 years after measles was declared “eliminated” in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports there have been 61 new cases since May 27 alone. Recognizing that public appeals to get vaccinated were falling on deaf ears too often, officials at the CDC and other federal, state, and local health agencies are now imploring healthcare providers, including urgent care clinicians, to step up patient education on vaccination against measles. The need is especially great in parents who mistakenly believe that vaccines put their children at risk for autism. The CDC is trying to help by providing pamphlets, fact sheets, and other resources on its website. For an urgent care-specific take on what you can do to help stem this growing crisis, read Unexpected Viral Illness in an Urgent Care Setting: The Re-Emergence of Mumps, Measles, And Varicella in the JUCM archive.