Spring break measles risk across US, officials warn

Public health, explained: Sign up to receive Healthbeat’s free national newsletter here.The spring break travel season is underway, with tens of thousands of people every day clogging U.S. airports in their quest for sun, surf, theme parks, big city excitement, and other getaways.It’s a scene that worries public health officials amid another bad year for measles across the country – and the potential for increased spread of the highly contagious disease during this busy travel period.“It feels like whack-a-mole right now,” said Scott Thorpe, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Public Health Leadership. “Just as the numbers are dying down in South Carolina, you see this big jump in cases in Utah. Then you see cases starting to pop up in other places across the South.”State health department officials in multiple states – including California, Utah, Colorado, Georgia, and South Carolina – told Healthbeat they are concerned about spring break travel and the potential for measl