Washington, D.C., has confirmed a measles case involving an international traveler who visited several locations in the city last month, part of an outbreak that has prompted the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security’s Center for Outbreak Response Innovation (CORI) to ramp up assistance for health departments nationwide.
According to D.C. Health, the infected person traveled through Dulles International Airport and used the Silver Line Metro before arriving at MedStar Health Pediatrics in Tenleytown between June 8 and June 12. Maryland health authorities have reported three measles cases this year, all connected to international travel. Virginia has also confirmed three cases, including a recent infection in the state’s northwest region involving a child linked to a prior case.
Across the United States, at least 1,277 measles cases have been reported in 38 states and the District of Columbia. This is the highest total since 1992, when more than 2,100 cases were recorded.
The Johns Hopkins CORI initiative is working to support local health departments as they respond to the rising number of infections. CORI has developed analytical platforms, outbreak simulation tools, and risk assessments to help jurisdictions detect and control measles outbreaks.
“These tools are designed, tested, and refined to ensure they are practical and useful in real-world public health settings,” CORI states on its website.
The center has released a national scenario-based assessment categorizing the current situation as Scenario 4, which is defined by multiple large outbreaks or at least one extra-large outbreak with more than 300 cases. CORI also provides decision-support resources, clinical guidance documents, and modeling outputs that health officials can use to plan responses and monitor the spread of disease.
In addition to analytic tools, CORI coordinates a Community of Practice that connects state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments to share lessons learned and strengthen outbreak readiness.
“Our mission is to improve the speed, accuracy, and use of data and analytics during public health emergencies,” CORI states.
Virginia State Epidemiologist Laurie Forlano said earlier that vaccination remains the best defense against measles.
“And it’s a safe and highly effective at protecting people and preventing outbreaks,” Forlano stated.