More than 150 people in West Virginia exposed to measles: Health officials

About 152 people across 30 counties in West Virginia have been exposed to measles, state health officials said Friday.

Earlier this week, the first confirmed case of measles in the state since 2009 was identified, according to the West Virginia Department of Health (WVDH). The patient was someone who was undervaccinated and had a history of recent international travel, the department said.

State health leaders said that since then, they've learned of dozens of exposed individuals including 128 West Virginia residents and 24 out-of-state contacts from four neighboring states.

Of the people who were exposed, 62% don't have documentation proving they are protected against measles and are considered at risk, according to WVDH.

"The Bureau for Public Health is strongly recommending those exposed individuals with no evidence of immunity against the virus quarantine until May 9 or 10, 2024, depending on their last date of exposure," the department said in a release.

Measles virus particle, illustration.

STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images

The WVDH did not immediately reply to ABC News' request for comment.

The news about the possible exposure comes amid a rapid increase in the number of measles cases during the first quarter of 2024, in part due to several localized outbreaks, including at a children's hospital and daycare center in Philadelphia, an elementary school in Florida and a migrant center in Chicago.

As of Friday, 128 cases have been reported in 19 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than half of those infected were under 5 years old and 81% are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status, the federal health agency said.

Measles is a highly transmissible virus. It's so infectious that a measles patient could infect up to 90% of close contacts who are not immune, either through prior infection or vaccination, according to the CDC.

The CDC currently recommends that everyone receive two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, with the first dose between ages 12 and 15 months and the second dose between ages 4 and 6.

One dose of the measles vaccine is 93% effective at preventing infection if exposed to the virus, and two doses are 97% effective, according to the CDC.

The WVDH said it is working closely with the Monongalia County Health Department, where the positive measles case was identified, to make sure health officials have adequate testing supplies and MMR vaccine availability.

"The Bureau for Public Health recommends the safe and effective MMR vaccination as part of a routine vaccination schedule for all children and adults," the department said in the release. "With summer travel coming up and people going to and coming from countries that have seen sharp upticks in measles cases, the time is now to be sure you and your family members are up-to-date on their MMR vaccine."

A timeline of King Charles' health struggles, from his cancer diagnosis to his return to public duties

King Charles III's return to public duties is imminent, Buckingham Palace said in a statement shared with Business Insider on Friday.

The announcement comes months after the palace said the British monarch was diagnosed with cancer following a procedure to treat an enlarged prostate.

At the time, the palace said the king would be stepping back from public-facing duties to undergo a "schedule of regular treatments." With Charles out of the spotlight — and his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton also undergoing cancer treatment — other members of the royal inner circle, like Prince William, have faced pressure to step up.

But the palace's latest announcement signifies the king is ready to return to business as usual.

Here's a timeline of Charles' health struggles, from his diagnosis to his return to the public.

Buckingham Palace announced Charles was undergoing a "corrective procedure" on his prostate in January.

King Charles III with Queen Camilla after he received treatment for an enlarged prostate at The London Clinic on January 29, 2024.Chris Jackson/Getty Images

On January 17, the palace shared in a statement with Business Insider that Charles would be heading to the hospital to receive treatment for an enlarged prostate.

At the time, the palace described Charles' condition as "benign" and said the procedure he was having was "common with thousands of men each year."

When asked to provide further details about the condition and the procedure, the palace said it would not "for privacy reasons" and that more information about his upcoming engagements would be confirmed "in due course."

The announcement came the same day Kensington Palace announced Kate was in recovery after a "planned abdominal surgery."

Weeks later, Buckingham Palace confirmed Charles had been diagnosed with cancer.

Buckingham Palace announced King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer on February 5, 2024.Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

On February 5, less than a month after the king's prostate procedure, the palace made yet another unprecedented announcement: Charles has cancer.

The palace didn't specify the form of cancer Charles was diagnosed with in the statement shared with BI. However, it said the monarch's medical team discovered the cancer while he was undergoing his prostate procedure.

It added that Charles had already begun a "schedule of regular treatments" and was under advice to step back from "public-facing duties," though he would also be continuing "State business and official paperwork as usual."

The statement concluded with the palace saying Charles was "grateful" for his medical team's "swift intervention" and was looking forward to returning to "full public duty as soon as possible."

"His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer," it added.

Charles kept working behind the scenes, praised the public for its well-wishes, and received support from his royal relatives — near and far.

King Charles III reading cards and messages sent by well-wishers following his cancer diagnosis in Buckingham Palace on February 21, 2024.Jonathan Brady/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

In the months after Charles' diagnosis, the royal kept busy behind the scenes. Shortly after his condition was made public, a representative of Prince Harry told BI that he was scheduled to fly to the UK from California to see his father.

Weeks later, he was pictured meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and opening get-well-soon cards sent to the palace by members of the public.

In the interim, Charles also received treatment at the same clinic as Kate, whom he remained in the "closest contact with," a palace spokesperson told the BBC.

On March 28, Charles made his first public remarks post-diagnosis. Before Easter Sunday, in a pre-recorded audio clip shared at the Royal Maundy Service, he said it was "a great sadness" that he was unable to attend in person due to his condition and stressed the importance of extending "friendship" in times of need, Royal Central reported.

On Easter Sunday, Charles was spotted alongside Camilla attending a service at St George's Chapel in Windsor. The service was smaller to reduce Charles' contact with others while undergoing treatment.

On Friday, the palace said Charles would return to public-facing duties and is gearing up to host Japanese royals in June.

King Charles III attends the Easter Service at Windsor Castle on March 31, 2024.Samir Hussein/WireImage

After a "period of treatment and recuperation" following his cancer diagnosis, the palace said on Friday that Charles is gearing up to return to public-facing duties "shortly."

The statement added that one of the first of several public events he's set to appear at in the next few weeks is a visit to a cancer treatment center with Queen Camilla on April 30.

"In addition, The King and Queen will host Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress of Japan for a State Visit in June," the statement read.

As Charles approaches the one-year mark following his coronation on May 6, 2023, the statement concluded by saying he and Camilla are "deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around the world throughout the joys and challenges of the past year."

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In Grand Rapids, Jill Biden hails Betty Ford for her lasting mark on women’s health care

First Lady Jill Biden sits on stage at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation's annual First Ladies Luncheon in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 26, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

“Well, what would Betty Ford do?”

In a raspy voice, first lady Jill Biden told attendees that’s what she was thinking before arriving to headline the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation’s annual First Ladies Luncheon. 

Biden said she woke up feeling under the weather and without her voice. She didn’t know how she would deliver a speech at the event in Grand Rapids, where former first lady Betty Ford grew up. But as an American who loved Ford as first lady and all she did for women’s health care by letting the world know about her battle with breast cancer while in the White House, Biden said she knew she wanted to come to the event.

“Betty, I’m here for you,” Biden said, looking up and then yielding the podium to Dr. Carolyn Mazure, chair of the White House Women’s Health Research Initiative to deliver the speech on her behalf.

This year marks 50 years since Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1974 and made the decision that was unheard of at the time: She talked about it.

“Where women’s health issues are concerned, American history is divided into two unequal periods: Before Betty and After Betty,” Biden’s speech quoted from American Historian Richard Norton Smith’s eulogy at Ford’s funeral in 2011. 

Ford said at an American Cancer Society Dinner on Nov. 7, 1975, “I just cannot stress enough how necessary it is for women to take the time out of their active lives and take an interest in their own health and their own body. Too many women are so afraid of breast cancer, that they endanger their lives. These fears of being less of a woman are very real and it’s important to talk about the emotional side effects. We have to speak up honestly.”

Ford’s public disclosure of breast cancer and vocal advocacy for self-screening and routine checkups led to the “Betty Ford Blip” wherein a stark increase of women sought out screening and early intervention for cancer diagnoses.

Ford did not waste her moment, Biden’s speech said, taking it with grace, as a voice of advocacy for accessing different forms of health care, including resources for addiction, another personal battle Ford made public.

Not every example Ford set should be followed, her daughter, Susan Ford Bales, told attendees, advising them that should they find themselves in the Cabinet Room in the White House, they shouldn’t strike a dance pose on the table like her mother did. 

“There was a time when words of breast cancer would never be uttered publicly and most certainly never by America’s first lady and then, ladies and gentlemen, there was Betty,” Bates said. “There was a time when the stigma on prescription drugs and alcohol addiction was as cynical as it was cruel, most often it was confused, incorrectly, with individual moral failure, and a failure caused solely by personal choice and then, ladies and gentlemen, there was Betty.”

First Lady Jill Biden (right) sits with Susan Ford Bales (left) daughter of former First Lady Betty Ford at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation's annual First Ladies Luncheon in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 26, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

First Lady Jill Biden speaks briefly at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation's annual First Ladies Luncheon in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 26, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

Dr. Carolyn Mazure, chair of the White House Women’s Health Research Initiative, gives First Lady Jill Biden's speech at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation's annual First Ladies Luncheon in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 26, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

“Betty, I’m here for you,” First Lady Jill Biden says at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation's annual First Ladies Luncheon in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 26, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

First Lady Jill Biden sits on stage at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation's annual First Ladies Luncheon in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 26, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

First Lady Jill Biden (right) sits with Susan Ford Bales (left), daughter of former First Lady Betty Ford, at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation's annual First Ladies Luncheon in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 26, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

First Lady Jill Biden waves goodbye at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation's annual First Ladies Luncheon in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 26, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

Former first lady Betty Ford stamp | USPS image

But Bates said in reflecting on how to express to guests the deep feelings she and her mother would share in having Biden come to her mom’s hometown, it made her think of what everyone should learn from the two first ladies.

“My thoughts kept coming back to the great work that mom and our guest each carried out for decades. History now allows us to see the bedrock connections between these two remarkable ladies,” Ford said “Each of them had their moment in time. Each of them had their moment to make a difference. So in short, they had one chance at forever. And, oh my, ladies and gentlemen, did both of them make that moment count.”

Health care is not always accessible to women, Biden’s speech said, and every woman has a story where they couldn’t find an answer to their health issue or their pain was undermined by a care provider.

“You know her, she’s the woman who gets debilitating migraines, but doesn’t know why and can’t find treatment options that work for her. She’s the woman going through menopause who visits her doctor and leaves with more questions than answers even though half the country will go through menopause at some point in their lives,” Biden’s speech said.

Biden’s speech noted all the women whose heart attacks aren’t recognized by doctors because their symptoms don’t look like a man’s symptoms.

“Even though we are half of the population, and women’s health is under study, and research is underfunded. Too many studies have left women out and too many of the medications, treatments and medical textbooks are based on men and their bodies,” Biden’s speech said. “This has created gaps in our understanding of conditions that mostly affect women, only affect women, or affect women and men differently, leaving women seeking health care in the medical world largely designed for men.”

So even with Ford’s achievements having brought a new era to women’s health care, Biden’s speech calls for a new era, a fundamental change in how the nation approaches and funds women’s health care research.

That’s what the White House Women’s Health Research Initiative is about, Biden’s speech said. In March, President Joe Biden issued an executive order calling for a host of changes to health care research, including investments in women’s health care research, filling the gap in research for women’s health post-menopause, research on environmental factors impacting women’s health care and more.

Change can’t come overnight, Biden’s speech said, but if Betty has taught the nation one thing, it’s that small, everyday acts will lead to big things. With daily consistent efforts, there can be a future where women have answers to their health care needs.

“Mrs. Ford was extraordinary and at her core, she was always Betty Bloomer from Grand Rapids, Mich.,” Biden’s speech said. “Even as she soared to great heights, she was also grounded. Every woman can see a part of herself in Betty and in her resilience and triumph, we found our own strength: ‘If Betty can do it, I can do it.’”

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The post In Grand Rapids, Jill Biden hails Betty Ford for her lasting mark on women’s health care appeared first on Michigan Advance.

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