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A little girl being given a measles vaccine by a little girlNew York City health officials are warning New Yorkers to get measles shots, if they haven’t already, after identifying 16 cases of measles in Manhattan and the Bronx, according to CBS News.

Nine of the cases are children, and seven are adults. Four people have been hospitalized as a result of the outbreak, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Measles, also called rubeola, is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus. Symptoms of the disease include fever, runny nose, cough and a rash all over the body. Measles virus normally grows in the cells that line the back of the throat and lungs. Measles spreads through the air by breathing, coughing or sneezing. According to CDC, any child who is exposed to the disease and is not immune will probably get it.

About 30 percent of measles cases lead to serious complications including pneumonia, ear infections, diarrhea, brain inflammation, hospitalization and even death.

New York Measles Outbreak 2014: Get Vaccinated  was originally published on elev8.com

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