MILWAUKEE - The Wisconsin Department of Health Services on Saturday announced the state's first confirmed measles cases of the year.
Oconto County measles cases
What they're saying:
The Wisconsin DHS and Oconto County Public Health confirmed nine cases of measles in the county. One case was confirmed through testing at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, with eight additional cases confirmed based on exposure and symptoms.
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All of the cases were exposed to a common source during out-of-state travel, according to the DHS. No additional information will be released due to privacy laws.
The DHS, in coordination with the Oconto County Public Health, is working to identify and notify people who may have been exposed to the measles virus. At this time, no public points of exposure have been identified and the risk to the community remains low.
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Why you should care:
According to the DHS, measles is a highly contagious disease that can be spread from person to person through the air and can stay in the air for two hours after a sick person coughs or sneezes. It is so contagious that if one person gets it, up to 90% of the people around them may also become infected if they are not vaccinated.
Symptoms of measles typically appear approximately 10 to 21 days after exposure, and include:
- Runny nose
- High fever (may be greater than 104 degrees)
- Tiredness
- Cough
- Red, watery eyes, or conjunctivitis – commonly known as "pink eye"
- A red rash with raised bumps that starts at the hairline and moves to the arms and legs three to five days after symptoms begin
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The DHS said measles can cause serious health complications, including pneumonia, brain damage and deafness – and can sometimes be deadly. One in four people who get measles in the U.S. will be hospitalized.
What you can do:
The DHS said anyone who develops symptoms of measles should stay home – not go to work, school, shopping or use public transportation – and call their doctor's office or clinic before visiting so they can take precautions to ensure other patients are not exposed to the virus.
Measles can be prevented with the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine. According to the DHS, two doses of the measles vaccine are 97% effective at preventing the disease.
In general, the DHS said people born before 1957 are considered immune and do not need a vaccine. All other adults without laboratory evidence of immunity should have at least one dose of measles-containing vaccine, and children should have two doses.
Find more information about who should get a measles vaccine on the DHS measles page.
Parents and caregivers can check the Wisconsin Immunization Registry or contact their health care provider or local health department to see if they or their child has been vaccinated to protect against measles.
The Source: The Wisconsin Department of Health Services released information for this story.