Most reader questions continue to focus on covid-19, as reflected in my recent newsletters addressing masking, long covid and whether some need a second bivalent booster shot. But the coronavirus is far from the only pathogen worthy of attention.
In central Ohio, for example, a measles outbreak that began in November has sickened at least 85 children. Most were younger than 5, and all those who were infected were either unvaccinated or not yet fully vaccinated.
Measles is one of the most contagious respiratory viruses — even more so than the highly transmissible coronavirus variants. An unvaccinated person has a 90 percent chance of contracting measles if they are around someone infected with it. The virus is airborne and can still be contagious to others two hours after the infected person has left the room.