Five more measles cases have been confirmed in Osceola County, and health officials there are announcing an outbreak, defined as three or more related cases. It’s the state’s third outbreak so far this year, with a total of seven cases in the county and 27 cases statewide.
“This outbreak has been traced back to residents who were infected while traveling out of state in mid-June,” Central Michigan District Health Department (CMDHD) officials said in a statement on Thursday. “While no public exposure sites have been identified, CMDHD is continuing to work with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to investigate, and exposure sites may be identified and shared in the future.”
The outbreak is within a community that is “closed,” said Jennifer Morse, the CMDHD medical director, and is “taking very good measures to isolate and self-quarantine.” The cases have been “brewing since late June,” Morse told Michigan Public, and while “there may be some public areas and stores” that infected people have visited in that time frame, health officials haven’t been able to identify any specific exposure sites, and are “not at liberty to narrow it down more” due to privacy concerns.
There’s a “tug of war” between releasing information to the public, Morse said, and wanting to maintain the confidentiality of those who don’t want to be identified. But those in the area should monitor for symptoms, she said, and make sure they’re fully vaccinated.
“Symptoms usually start 7 to 14 days after exposure but can take up to 21 days to show up and may include:
- High fever (can go over 104˚F)
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red, watery eyes
- Tiny white spots in the mouth
- A red, raised rash that starts on the face and spreads to the body
“If you get these symptoms, call your healthcare provider before seeking medical help. That way, you don’t spread measles to others," the health department’s statement said.
Only two of the 27 cases in Michigan so far this year are in people who’ve received at least one dose of the MMR vaccine, while the other 25 are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status.
“The measles vaccine works very well and is safe,” county health officials said in their statement Thursday, advising residents to make a vaccine appointment by phone or through a walk-in clinic found at www.cmdhd.org/imms. “One dose offers about 93% protection. Two doses increase protection to about 97%. Getting vaccinated not only helps you, but it also protects others in your community.”
Eleven of the state’s cases have reported some sort of international or domestic travel, according to the state health department’s measles dashboard.
