A letter signed by health officials in California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, asks the CDC to reconsider

California and Washington asked the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in May to validate a new way to test for measles – but after waiting two months, the CDC denied the request, citing “other competing priorities”, according to a letter from the West Coast Health Alliance to CDC director Erica Schwartz.

The letter, signed by health officials in California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington, asks Schwartz to reconsider and validate a rapid, high-volume measles test in preparation for major outbreaks. The alliance also asked the CDC to create protocols to test for other high-priority pathogens to prepare for future outbreaks.

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© Photograph: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images

The Pennsylvania health department issued a warning to doctors Monday about an increase in measles cases during pregnancy, along with rising concern about congenital measles, a disease rarely seen in the U.S.  The department’s alert said congenital measles — a measles infection in a newborn contracted from the mother — was identified “for the first…

The Pennsylvania health department issued a warning to doctors Monday about an increase in measles cases during pregnancy, along with rising concern about congenital measles, a disease rarely seen in the U.S.  The department’s alert said congenital measles — a measles infection in a newborn contracted from the mother — was identified “for the first…