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Ohio Distributes Vaccine To Stem Mumps And Measles Outbreak
By: Associated Press
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Ohio health officials have distributed more than 11,800 doses of vaccines to try to stem recent outbreaks of measles and mumps in the state.
The state epidemiologist, Mary DiOrio, said Tuesday that around half of those measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines have been administered.
There have been 68 measles cases reported in six counties, mostly among unvaccinated individuals in the Amish community.
She says it's the largest outbreak in the U.S. since 1996.
Officials say it began with unvaccinated travelers who visited the Philippines, which has had a measles epidemic.
Ohio counties reporting measles have received 11,200 of the doses.
Officials say the mumps outbreak that started in central Ohio in January has reached 342 cases, mostly in Franklin County.
The state has sent out 640 doses to counties with mumps cases.