Measles Outbreak in Local Child Care Facility
For Immediate
Release
November 9, 2022
Contact
Kelli Newman, Columbus Public Health, 614-645-7213,
[email protected]
Mitzi Kline, Franklin County Public Health, 614-374-1924, [email protected]
Measles Outbreak
in Local Child Care Facility
Columbus Public
Health (CPH) and Franklin County Public Health (FCPH) are investigating a
measles outbreak associated with a local child care facility. Currently,
there are four confirmed cases, all in unvaccinated children with no travel
history. The child care facility is cooperating, has notified parents, and has
temporarily closed down.
CPH and FCPH are
conducting case investigations and contact tracing on the four cases. “We are
working diligently with the cases to identify any potential exposures and to
notify people who were exposed,” said Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr.
Mysheika Roberts. “The most important thing you can do to protect against
measles is to get vaccinated with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine,
which is safe and highly effective.”
With the risk for
community spread, parents are encouraged to
make sure their children are up to date on their childhood immunizations, including
the MMR vaccine. Ninety percent of unvaccinated individuals who are exposed to
measles will become infected. About one in five people in the U.S. who get
measles will be hospitalized.
Measles is
preventable with two doses of MMR vaccine. MMR vaccines are available at Columbus
Public Health during regular vaccine clinic hours and at Franklin County Public
Health by appointment only. Children
also can get MMR vaccines from their pediatrician or medical home.
Measles spreads easily by coughing, talking or being in the
same room with someone who has measles. Initial symptoms of measles include a
high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes followed by a rash that
typically spreads from the head to the rest of the body. It generally takes 8
to 12 days from exposure to someone with measles to the first symptom, which is
usually fever. The measles rash usually appears two to three days after the
fever begins. If you have symptoms of measles, call your doctor or clinic and
they will let you know if you need to come in for a visit. Call your provider ahead of
time to let them know about symptoms and potential exposure before going in.
“Measles is both
highly contagious and preventable,” said Joe Mazzola, Franklin County Health
Commissioner. “It can be a severe illness, so we strongly encourage anyone who
has not been vaccinated to get vaccinated to prevent further spread.”
These four new
cases bring the total number of confirmed measles cases in Franklin County to
eight since June 2022.
For questions,
call Columbus Public Health at 614-645-1519 or Franklin County Public Health at
614-525-3791.
For more
information, visit https://www.columbus.gov/publichealth/programs/Infectious-Disease-Investigation/Measles-Information/ and https://myfcph.org/measles/.
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