Washington, Apr 18: US health officials recommended on Friday that people hold off on adopting children from a Chinese orphanage after infected children flew to several states.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigators have been tracking down people who may have been exposed to the infected children as they were flown from China to their new homes.

"CDC today recommended a temporary suspension of adoption proceedings for children from the Zhuzhou Child Welfare Institute in the Hunan Province of China, which is experiencing an outbreak of measles," the agency said in a statement.

Nine of 12 children adopted in March have measles symptoms. "Six of the 9 have laboratory-confirmed measles," the CDC said.
The 12 traveled to five U.S. states -- Alaska, Florida, Maryland, New York and Washington, the CDC said. Children adopted overseas are not required to receive vaccinations before they travel home.

Highly contagious, the measles virus makes as many as 40 million people around the world sick every year and kills 745,000, according to the World Health Organization.

Most people in the United States and much of Europe have been vaccinated, so the disease is rare in those areas. "If vaccinations were stopped, each year about 2.7 million measles deaths worldwide could be expected," the CDC says.

But very young babies are not vaccinated and older people who were adults before routine vaccinations began are vulnerable. In addition, there are people who have not been vaccinated for various reasons.

So every time a measles case is reported, the CDC has to track down everyone who may have been near that person to make sure they are not at risk of infection. The dry, recirculated air of a passenger jet can be ideal for spreading the virus.

Patients are contagious before they start showing the characteristic spots and fever of measles.
"CDC is working with public health partners in China to implement control measures and prevent further spread of measles," the agency said. "The temporary suspension of adoption proceedings at the affected orphanage is recommended while control measures are implemented."

The CDC recommended a similar suspension in 2001 when an outbreak among children adopted internationally led to 14 U.S. measles cases among adopted children, caregivers and siblings.


"Adopting children is such a wonderful experience for so many people," said CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding. "To make this experience as safe and healthy as possible for everyone, we ask prospective parents traveling internationally to adopt children to ensure that their and their family members' immunizations are current."


Bureau Report