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For the first time in six years, a case of measles has been reported in the state of North Carolina.
On Tuesday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced a child in Mecklenburg County was confirmed to have measles. According to the NCDHHS, it’s the first one reported in the state since 2018.
“The child was likely exposed to measles while traveling out of the country,” the department said in a press release. “Fortunately, the parents kept the child at home after returning to North Carolina except for one medical visit, during which appropriate precautions were taken to avoid spreading the virus.”
No other information about the child will be released to protect patient privacy, the department said, but their Division of Public Health is working with the Mecklenburg County Health Department “to ensure readiness to detect and respond to other possible measles cases or exposures.”
The virus that causes measles is airborne and highly contagious. According to NCDHHS, someone can catch measles simply by being in a room where an infected person has been “even up to two hours after that person has left.” It can cause serious complications like pneumonia and encephalitis, especially in children under the age of five.
Symptoms begin with a fever, followed by a cough, runny nose and pink eye, the department said, along with a rash that starts on the face and upper neck and spreads down the body. The rash should begin to fade in about five days, according to health officials. Those who are sick should stay home, or if seeking medical attention, should call ahead to help mitigate the spread of the virus.
Measles infections are preventable. The first dose of the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella is recommended for all children between the ages of one year to 15 months, and the second dose between the ages of four to six years old. Children traveling internationally should receive their shots before they leave the country.
“Measles is on the rise globally and in the U.S.,” State Health Director and NCDHHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo-Tilson said. “Parents, schools, early childhood education providers and health care providers should work to ensure everyone is up to date with their measles vaccinations.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 94% of kindergarteners in North Carolina were up to date on the MMR vaccine in the 2022-23 school year, compared to 93% nationally.
North Carolina children up to age 19 who are uninsured can be vaccinated for free or at low cost through the Vaccines for Children program.