Students are encouraged to get vaccinated following a measles outbreak in New York City. The New York State Department of Health confirmed an outbreak of 20 cases early this month in NYC.
About 60 measles cases are reported annually in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 189 cases were reported in 2013 — the second-highest number since the disease was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. The measles are highly contagious, and once infected, 90 percent of the sick person’s close contacts will also become infected, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Lindsay Rohan, a UF Health Shands Hospital pediatric nurse practitioner, said college is an important time for students to get vaccinated because of the close living quarters. College-age students are also particularly susceptible to certain contagious diseases such as meningitis, she said.
“We can learn from (the measles outbreaks in NYC) that we are not above these diseases,” Rohan said. “For the most part, people think that it is eradicated, so they don’t need to worry about it.”
Danielle Overton, a 19-year-old UF animal sciences freshman, said she questions the necessity of vaccinations though she gets vaccinated every year just to be safe.
“I’m sure it helps, but it hasn’t ever been an issue,” she said.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 3/26/2014 under the headline "New York City measles outbreak spurs vaccination discussion"]
