Alabama records first measles case since 2002

State health officials say a child has become Alabama’s first measles case since 2002.

The Alabama Department of Public Health says a child under five years of age living in North Alabama has been confirmed to have measles. It did not give a specific location of where the child lives.

ADPH says the unvaccinated child contracted measles while traveling out of the United States.

It says the child did not attend daycare or school. The siblings of the child have been vaccinated and have not had any symptoms.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Karen Landers says parents need to make sure their children are up to date with their measles vaccinations. If exposed, unvaccinated people have a 90% chance of becoming infected, and she says infected people can spread the disease several days before showing symptoms.

Measles is a serious viral respiratory illness that lives in the nose and throat mucus of infected people. It spreads when people breathe in or have contact with virus-infected fluid and can pass through droplets sprayed into the air when someone with measles sneezes or coughs. Symptoms usually appear 7-14 days later.

“Measles follows a pattern in which the child first develops fever, cough, runny nose, and watery/red eyes, then a rash develops. Persons can start spreading the virus up to four days before symptoms appear, and those with weak immune systems can spread the measles virus longer,” Dr. Landers said.

No specific antiviral drug is available to treat measles. To help manage the symptoms, parents can ensure the child gets plenty of fluid and rest and give a non-aspirin fever medicine such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. In some cases, measles can lead to other problems, such as ear infections, pneumonia or encephalitis.

For most children, measles protection is part of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR), or measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine, given when children are 12 to 15 months old and again when they are 4 to 6 years old. The first MMR vaccine can be given to babies as young as 6 months of age if they will be traveling internationally or during an outbreak. Estimates of the effectiveness of the MMR vaccine are 99% in measles prevention after the second vaccination.

Vaccines are available at pediatricians’ offices or county health departments.

Parents should call a doctor immediately if they believe their child has measles or if their child has been around someone who has measles, especially if their child is an infant, is taking medication that suppresses the immune system, has tuberculosis, cancer or a disease that affects the immune system or has not received two doses of the measles vaccine.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the measles vaccine