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The measles virus is not only a health threat to

Aug. 12, 2018 by Lena Webb

The measles virus is not only a health threat to children and teens, but it also has led to outbreaks of measles in the United States and Europe, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In late 2015, at least 12 people died because of measles in a small Philadelphia city.

But Dr. Joseph Heller, chief medical officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the disease may have been an "acute" illness.

In a post this week, he wrote, "If you have been exposed to the measles virus, it's the most widespread and severe, a pandemic in the history of the world."

Dr. Heller said the CDC and its partners had a "clear mandate" to help "expose" and "cure" the disease. He added that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had identified that the measles virus had killed 1,000 people in the United States.

The measles outbreak in New York and the outbreak in Europe have raised concerns about vaccines, a major threat to public health. The vaccination of infants who are too young to receive the measles vaccine has led to outbreaks in some countries, and the United States has been among countries on the list.

In Israel, where the outbreak has been particularly violent, the outbreak has left at least 12 people dead, including the parents of two young children who died. The health ministry said it had identified an outbreak of measles in one of its hospitals.