As of now, there are more than 100 confirmed cases of measles in Texas and New Mexico, a majority of which are in school-aged children, according to the CDC. Although we have not seen any confirmed cases here in Montana, healthcare professionals told MTN a local outbreak is possible.
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“Measles is extremely infectious; it's one of the most infectious viruses. 90% of people who are unvaccinated and exposed to someone with measles will get it,” said Rachel Amthor, a pediatrician with Benefis Health System's Women and Children Center.
Abigail Hill, the Cascade City-County Health Department’s (CCHD) health officer, said the most important thing to know about measles is how transmissible and easily spread the virus is.
“That's what you're seeing right now with the current outbreak, is that it's spreading because measles spreads quickly, and it impacts people that aren't immune,” Hill said.
While Montana doesn’t have recent data on childhood immunization reports, nationally, there has been a 3% decrease in vaccination rates.
“That doesn’t seem like a big number to people but 3% times a big population is a lot of individuals who aren’t protected,” Hill said. “More kids are exposed; they're not immune, they're getting sick, they're getting hospitalized, and they unfortunately had their first death today.”
Currently there are no confirmed cases of measles in Montana; however, the CCHD has seen a rise in pertussis and whooping cough cases.
Measles symptoms include (from the CDC):
- High fever
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red, watery eyes
- White spots inside mouth (Koplik spots)
- Measles rash
Typically, symptoms don’t appear until 7-14 days after an individual has been exposed and infected with measles. It is recommended to keep an eye out for any symptoms and report them to your healthcare provider immediately.
