Currently, over 800 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 23 states as of May 10th, 2019. Out of these cases, 6 have been confirmed in Georgia, and the majority (80%) noted from New York.
History: Measles was once a deadly childhood disease in America until the vaccine was created and administered in 1963. The highly contagious childhood infection, which is caused by a virus, is considered extremely rare. In 2000, the measles virus was declared “eliminated” from the United States.
According to the Mayo Clinic, measles spreads when an infected individual coughs, sneezes or talks near other people. Infected droplets from the individual with measles can spray into the air or land on a surface and these droplets can remain active and contagious for hours. Those who are unvaccinated, travel internationally to developing countries or have a vitamin A deficiency are more likely to catch the disease.
Symptoms: Measles typically appear between 10 to 14 days after a person has been exposed to the virus. The symptoms include fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, conjunctivitis, tiny white spots with bluish-white centers on a red background inside the inner linking of the cheek, and a skin rash. In the first 10 to 14 days after an individual is infected, they will show no signs or symptoms of the disease, as the virus is incubating. Then, for two to three days, the person will begin to experience a mild to moderate fever, persistent cough, runny nose, sore throat and inflamed eyes. Infected individuals will then see a splotchy red rash spread, first on the face, then down the body. As the rash spreads, a person can also experience a spike in temperature, according to the Mayo Clinic.
To minimize the risk of measles transmission in healthcare settings, healthcare personnel should:
1. Question patients with a febrile rash illness about if they have of traveled internationally, came in contact with foreign visitors, or had possible exposure to a measles patient in the last 3 weeks.
2. Mask suspect measles patients immediately, if feasible, or loosely cover the heads of infants or young children with a blanket during transport.
3. Healthcare personnel should be up to date with immunizations. Be sure to have had 2 doses of MMR vaccine or laboratory evidence of immunity (measles IgG positive).
4. An N95 respirator mask should be worn by ALL Healthcare personnel, especially the providers that have not completed the immunization series or the titer (N95 respirator must be fit-checked each time it is donned).
5. Notify any location where the patient is being transferred to for additional clinical evaluation or laboratory testing about the patient’s suspected status.
6. Clean the patient area (truck) thoroughly after patient care is transferred.
7. If measles is confirmed in the suspect case, exposed responders will need to be assessed for measles immunity.
Author: Katrina Hancock