FRESNO COUNTY – The Fresno County Department of Public Health (FCDPH) issued a health alert after it confirmed a case of the measles in a Fresno County resident.
The alert, sent on March 11, said an unvaccinated Fresno County adult was confirmed to have the measles after returning from international travel. The measles case is not associated with outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico, but the resident may have exposed others at an event in Madera County on March 2, according to both FCDPH and the Madera County Department of Public Health (MCDPH).
Both health departments are working to contact individuals who may have been exposed by the individual, who attended a “large faith-based convention” in Madera from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on March 2, according to the alert. FCDPH is also investigating exposure that may have occurred during an emergency department visit.
“With the growing risk of measles exposure due to rising cases both in the United States and internationally, the FCDPH urges increased awareness of measles symptoms, especially among those who have recently traveled abroad or had contact with international travelers,” the alert said.
A health alert is intended to convey the highest level of importance in health department messaging and warrants immediate action or attention. The measles alert provides guidance for health care providers and residents to protect themselves and their communities from the disease, which is highly contagious but preventable through vaccination.
Health care providers should prepare their facilities for the possibility of patients with measles by asking patients with a fever and/or a rash to contact the office first and by directing these patients to be seen in the office parking lot or to enter the office through an entrance that minimizes contact with others.
All patients and health care should be up to date on their measles vaccinations, which includes the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine or the MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella) vaccine. Individuals traveling internationally or to areas with outbreaks within the United States should particularly check their vaccination status.
MMR vaccines are available at the FCDPH Immunization Clinic, and individuals without insurance or with Medi-Cal can receive vaccines there as well; fees may apply. Individuals can call 559-600-3550 for more information and to schedule an appointment. Madera County residents without insurance can schedule immunizations with MCDPH by calling 559-675-7893.
Suspected measles cases should be immediately reported to local health jurisdictions while patients are still at a health care facility.
According to FCDPH, domestic cases of measles often originate from unvaccinated or under-vaccinated United States residents who travel internationally and transmit the disease to other unvaccinated individuals. An infected person can transmit measles to nine out of 10 susceptible close contacts, and there is no antiviral treatment for the disease.
Measles symptoms appear seven to 14 days after first exposure and begin with a high fever that can exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit, a cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. Two to three days after the onset of symptoms, individuals may have tiny white spots appear inside their mouth. A measles rash may appear three to five days after initial symptoms, beginning as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward over the body.
Prior to the licensing of the measles vaccine in 1963, the United States had an average of nearly 550,000 measles cases and 495 measles deaths annually. According to the CDC, it is likely that 3 to 4 million people were infected annually on average but most cases went reported. Of those cases, 48,000 people were hospitalized annually and an annual average of 1,000 people developed a chronic disability from disease complications.
The United States declared measles eliminated within the country in 2000, but cases and outbreaks have continued, largely due to international travel, according to the CDC. More recently, measles cases reached a high of 1,282 in 2019; the majority of these cases have been among U.S. residents not vaccinated against measles.
