Second Case of Measles Confirmed in Maryland
Cases are Household Contacts, and Both Aquired Measles Out of State
The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) confirmed the second case of measles in a Maryland resident this year. This second case is a household contact of the first confirmed measles case in Maryland. Both individuals aquired measles outside of Maryland when they visited an area with an ongoing measles outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports there are currently six jurisdictions with measles outbreaks: New York State, Rockland County; New York City; Washington; New Jersey; California, Butte County; and Michigan.
There is no evidence of measles spreading in Maryland according to state health officials. The MDH has not identified any potential measles exposure locations in Maryland.
Measles is a highly contagious vaccine-preventable infection than can be spread through coughing, sneezing and secretions from the mouth. Early measles symptoms of high fever, runny nose, cough and red, watery eyes typically develop 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. 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. Those who are most at risk of complications from measles infection are: pregnant women, infants less than one year old and those who are immune compromised.
Measles can be prevented with a vaccine known as MMR which provides immunity to three contagious diseases — measles, mumps and rubella. The CDC currently recommends that children get two doses of the MMR vaccine. Teens and adults should also be up-to-date on MMR vaccinations.
Maryland Department of Health provided 1,200 doses of the MMR vaccine to Baltimore County to host a vaccination clinic on Wednesday, April 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bais Yaakov School for girls, 6302 Smith Avenue, in Baltimore.
The CDC reported that there are more than 555 confirmed cases of the measles in the U.S. since the virus was eliminated in 2000. They also reported the reason for the recent rise in cases could be due to travelers going abroad where the measles virus is prevalent and further spreading within pockets of communities that are unvaccinated.
The states that have reported cases to CDC are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.
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