A child in Madison County contracted measles after traveling out of state to an area with an active outbreak, eastern Idaho health officials said Tuesday.
In a news release, Eastern Idaho Public Health officials said they believe the child likely caught measles while traveling, not locally. The child was not vaccinated for measles.
Officials said Madison Health, the Rexburg-based hospital where the child was treated but not hospitalized, has contacted people who were potentially exposed to measles. Eastern Idaho Public Health says it will not publicly announce more cases within the child’s household in a news release.
Last year, Idaho reported 13 measles cases amid the nation’s worst outbreak in decades. All Idaho measles cases last year were in unvaccinated children, or children whose vaccination status was unknown.
Vaccination is the best way to prevent measles, which is highly contagious and usually leads to hospitalization for one in five children younger than 5 years old who are infected.
Measles is highly contagious but rare. Up to 90% of non-immune people in contact with an infected person can become infected. The virus can live in the air up to two hours after someone infected leaves.
Symptoms typically appear seven to 14 days after exposure and include high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a distinctive rash, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. While many recover without problems, measles can lead to serious complications, especially in very young children and people with weakened immune systems.
Idaho has a spotty record for measles vaccinations, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.
The virus’s serious complications can include pneumonia, encephalitis (an inflammation of the brain) and, in rare cases, death.
People with measles symptoms should not enter health care settings without calling ahead, and they should contact their health care providers. People exposed to measles should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after exposure.
There is no antiviral treatment for measles, according to the CDC.
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