Multiple measles cases pop up in state

With St. Louis and New Madrid reporting two more measles cases in Missouri, Tabitha Frank, Nodaway County Health Department public health nurse supervisor, provided more clarity concerning the possible need for vaccination.

Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that typically begins with fever, cough, runny nose and red and watery eyes. One person with measles can easily pass it on to nine out of 10 people around them who are unvaccinated or do not have natural immunity. Symptoms appear seven to 14 days after contact with the virus. Tiny white spots may appear inside the mouth 2-3 days after symptoms begin. Measles rash appears three to five days after the first symptoms. It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline. They then spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. Measles can cause severe health complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis and death. Measles can be transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. The virus can remain infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. People who are infected will begin to have symptoms on average one to two weeks after being exposed to a person with measles.

MMR vaccine dosages depends on risk

The Centers for Disease Control, a federal agency, notes that most adults are protected with the MMR or MMRV vaccine they had before they started public school. However they began that protocol with children in the 1960s, so those born before that will need to be vaccination if they did not contract the disease as a youngster. If someone did have the measles then they have an immunity that should be strong enough to keep a second time around from occurring.

There was a vaccine, an inactivated one, given to children between 1963 and 1967 that may not have been fully effective and a booster shot is recommended. The combined MMR vaccine was licensed in 1971; Priorix MMR vaccine was licensed and recommended in 2022. For people who previously received a dose of measles vaccine in 1963–1967 and are unsure which type of vaccine it was, or are sure it was inactivated measles vaccine, that dose should be considered invalid and the patient revaccinated as age- and risk-appropriate with MMR vaccine.

If the person can confirm they received a live vaccine during that era, the dose is considered valid and does not need to be repeated. At the discretion of the state public health department, anyone exposed to measles in an outbreak setting can receive an additional dose of MMR vaccine even if they are considered completely vaccinated for their age or risk status.

Those who are unsure if they received the second dose of the vaccine, and if they are at high exposure risk, it is recommended for them to receive it. Or those who work in healthcare or other settings with a high exposure risk, such as hospitals or schools, a booster might be considered. Students attending post-high school educational institutions should consider a booster.

Anyone who is traveling internationally, should receive at least one dose of the MMR vaccine. Children who have received the first dose at 12 to 15 months and have not reached the recommended age at four to six years for the second dose, should go ahead and receive the vaccine early if they are traveling internationally or to places of measles outbreaks.

People with possible exposure

The state department noted all individuals with possible exposures should watch for the symptoms of measles for 21 days from the date of exposure and report to their local public health agency if symptoms appear. People who think they have measles should isolate themselves and call their healthcare provider before arriving to be tested. It is important to let the provider know of the concern for measles and to get instructions on how to come to the office for diagnosis without exposing other people to the virus.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine given four weeks apart provide 97 percent protection from measles infections. A small number of vaccinated people can occasionally develop measles. In these cases, the symptoms are generally milder, and they are less likely to have severe disease symptoms and spread the virus to other people.

Measles can be especially dangerous for pregnant women and their unborn babies. Children too young to be vaccinated are more likely to have severe complications if they get infected with the measles virus. However, each MMR dose lowers the risk of infection and the severity of illness if infected.