Fourth Measles Case Confirmed in Maryland
Measles Outbreak is Localized to Zip Codes 21208, 21209 and 21215
The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) confirmed Friday that a fourth person in Maryland contracted measles this month. The Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) defines three or more linked cases of measles as an outbreak.
Health officials believe the latest case is associated with exposure at a medical office building in the Pikesville area, which is just outside of Baltimore. All four cases of measles have occured in a small geographic area within zip codes 21208, 21209 and 21215.
Anyone who entered the medical building at 4000 Old Court Road in Pikesville on April 16 between 9:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. may have been exposed to measles.
Officials listed two additional times that people may have been exposed to measles at this location, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 2 and 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. April 14.
Additionally, health officials are warning residents of potential exposure at Market Maven, at 1630 Reisterstown Road, from 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 14 and Seven Mile Market, at 201 Reisterstown Road, from 12:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. April 14. Health officials said they are directly notifying people who may have been exposed at additional locations.
Health officials recommend the following for people who might have been exposed to measles:
- If you are healthy and know you have had two doses of MMR vaccine, you do not need to take any additional actions.
- If your immune system is currently weakened by disease or medications, even if you have received two doses of MMR vaccine, call your health care provider right away and tell them you might have been exposed to measles as you might need a medication called immune globulin.
- If you know you have NOT received two doses of MMR vaccine, or if you aren’t sure whether or not you have received two doses of MMR vaccine, call your health care provider right away to determine next steps since you might need a dose of MMR vaccine or a medication called immune globulin.
- Monitor for possible symptoms of measles, such as fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and rash, and call your health care provider before visiting their office so they can make special arrangements to evaluate you, if needed, without putting other patients and medical office staff at risk.
Measles is a contagious vaccine-preventable viral infection which is easily spread to unvaccinated persons through coughing, sneezing and secretions from the mouth. The measles virus may remain in the air for up to two hours. Measles symptoms typically develop 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus but can develop as soon as seven days or as long as 21 days after exposure. Early symptoms of measles are fever more than 101F, runny nose, cough and red, watery eyes. Usually, one to four days after the early symptoms, a red rash appears on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. A person with measles is contagious beginning four days before the rash appears until four days after the rash begins.
Related 2019 Measles Coverage
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