This article appeared in WWMT. Read the full story here.
The measles outbreak of 2019 is weighing on the minds of health care providers as college students return to campus this fall. They’ll be welcomed by cramped dorm rooms and crowded classrooms, which can be breeding grounds for viruses. It’s a concern because earlier in the year, between January and April, measles infected at least 700 people in 20 states in the U.S.
“The real issue is that measles is highly contagious, it’s one of the most contagious diseases that we deal with,” said Dr. David Davenport, who provides internal medicine and infectious disease care at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. “Crowded social events can create a nightmare situation,” he said.
Davenport pointed to two examples of measles outbreaks in higher educational institutions last April. Hundreds of students, faculty, and staff at California State University-Los Angeles, and the University of California at Los Angeles, were quarantined due to possible measles exposure. Some were even instructed to stay home while the source of the infection was detected. The scare came during the nation’s first measles outbreak since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000.
“If you have unvaccinated people in universities, and you have a problem, it can rapidly explode,” Davenport said.
Measles symptoms are often described as flu-like and relatively mild in the beginning; they include red eyes, a runny nose, and a cough. However, a nasty rash will also likely develop.
While the number of new cases has trended downward this summer, experts warn against presuming the epidemic is over, especially as the school year gets started.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine, or MMR, is a student’s best defense. Most children get their first dose at 12-to-15 months of age, and the second dose at 4-to-6 years of age. The two shots combined are 97% effective in preventing measles.