A measles outbreak hit a single office building in Beijing, China wherein at least 23 people were infected, health officials announced.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing, the people who were infected where now under quarantine and vaccinations were received by close contacts and all constituents in Chaoyangmen neighborhood.
The building affected is the Kaiheng Center wherein the fourth largest bank in China, Beijing branch of Bank of China. However, in Beijing, there are a total of 142 measles cases in the first month of 2015. They are now conducting state-wide assessment and vaccinations to curb the spread of the virus.
CDC told SCMP, "To prevent the epidemic from spreading, we have already vaccinated the 3,462 workers in the building." They added that the outbreak is now under control and there were no reported new infections for one week now.
Another company which is housed in the same building had four reported cases and now demanded that all of its employees receive the measles vaccine. Last year, Beijing incurred about 2,391 cases of measles and in whole of China, the cases reached a whopping 56,000 cases.
By 2012, China planned to eliminate the infectious disease but due to migrant people having no vaccination, it usually erupts every now and then.
Measles is a very infectious disease that can be dangerous for population groups with reduced immune systems. Children, older adults, pregnant women and immuno-compromised people are more vulnerable to the complications this disease brings.
According to the World Health Organization report, measles is one of the leading causes of deaths among children. In fact, in 2013, there are 145,700 deaths from measles worldwide. Measles is a highly contagious disease caused a virus. Its classic manifestations are red eyes, colds, cough, and a rash that starts from the face and down to the extremities. As of now, there is still no antiviral treatment for measles.