The Georgia Department of Public Health has confirmed a case of measles in metro Atlanta, the first since 2020.
“DPH is working to identify anyone who may have had contact with the individual while they were infectious,” the department said in a statement. “Measles is very contagious and spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Measles virus can stay in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person has left the room.”
Symptoms of measles usually appear one to two weeks after exposure and can include high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes followed by a rash of tiny red spots. In some cases, patients can develop potentially fatal complications including pneumonia and swelling of the brain.
If you have symptoms of measles, call your doctor, clinic or hospital and tell them about it before going in, the DPH says.
Young children, pregnant women and older adults are at the greatest risk, but most Americans do not need to worry about catching it. Measles is preventable with two doses of a vaccine called MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), which doctors recommend for all babies as part of their routine health care.
“One case is one too many and runs the risk of spreading to other unvaccinated children and children who are unprotected, including those who are immunocompromised,” said Dr. Harry Heiman, a public health professor at Georgia State University.
The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends children get their first dose of MMR vaccine between 12 and 15 months and their second dose between 4 and 6 years old. More than 95% of the people who receive a single dose of MMR will develop immunity to all three viruses. A second dose boosts immunity, typically enhancing protection to 98%, DPH says.
The first measles vaccine was licensed in 1963, and the vaccine offered today has been in use since 1968, according to the CDC.
The vaccines were so successful that measles was declared…
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