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State epidemiologist warns of national measles surge; Pitkin County urged to confirm records and consider targeted vaccination
Summary
Colorado field epidemiologist briefed the Pitkin County Board of Health on an unprecedented national surge in measles, described post‑exposure options and urged providers to notify public health immediately for suspected cases.
Lauren Duvall, field epidemiologist at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment assigned to Pitkin County, told the Pitkin County Board of Health on April 17 that the United States is experiencing an unusually large measles season and that most cases to date involve unvaccinated people.
The state is tracking hundreds of U.S. cases and Colorado has investigated three individual cases so far, Duvall said. "This is an unprecedented amount of cases in The United States," she said, and noted that "97 percent of these cases are in either unvaccinated or unknown immunization status." She urged clinicians to call public health immediately for suspect cases and to prioritize testing through the state public health laboratory.
Why it matters: measles is highly contagious and can cause severe complications. Duvall emphasized that timely public-health action — including rapid assessment of…
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