Health officials on Monday confirmed the state's fifth measles case of the year in a one-year-old girl from Ingham County, who may have exposed others to it at multiple locations during a four-day period, according to the county health department.
Measles is a very contagious disease spread through person-to-person contact and the air, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The child may have exposed people at seven different locations between April 4 and 8, and the Ingham County Health Department is working to identify and notify them.
"We are closely monitoring this case and taking it very seriously," Dr. Nike Shoyinka, Ingham County Medical Health Officer, said in the news release. "Measles is highly contagious and can lead to severe complications, especially in young children, pregnant individuals, and those with weakened immune systems."
Possible exposure sites are:
- Tractor Supply, W Grand River Ave, Lansing, on April 4 between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
- Okemos Farmer’s Market in Meridian Mall, on April 5 between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
- Aldi in Okemos, on April 5 between 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
- Towar Hart Baptist Church in East Lansing on April 6 between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
- Toscana Restaurant in Lansing on April 6 between 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
- Michigan State University Community Music School on April 8 between 5:30 p.m. and 7:35 p.m.
- University of Michigan Health Sparrow Lansing Emergency Department on April 8 between 6 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
People who may have been exposed to measles should monitor themselves for symptoms for 21 days. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, tiny white spots inside the mouth, and a red rash on the face and rest of the body.
If symptoms develop, patients should contact their health care provider immediately, the Ingham County Health Department said.
People can contract measles by being in a room where an infected person has also been up to two hours after they left, according to the CDC. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is the best protection against the disease, and two doses are roughly 97% effective at preventing measles infection.
Children can receive their first dose of the measles vaccine between the ages of 12 and 15 months, and their second between the ages of four and six years old. Anyone who is not vaccinated is at risk for serious health complications from measles, especially children below the age of five, according to the CDC.
The Ingham County Health Department encouraged everyone to check their vaccination status and is providing doses at its immunization clinic in Lansing.
"The MMR vaccine is safe, effective, and remains our best defense. Two doses provide 97%protection," Shoyinka said in the news release. "We strongly urge residents to check their vaccination status and contact a healthcare provider if symptoms appear."
The Ingham County child had a recent history of traveling outside of Michigan, and the county's health department is investigating the location and time of her exposure, the news release said. She is the fifth measles case confirmed in Michigan this year. The fourth was identified in Montcalm County last week.
hmackay@detroitnews.com
