An outbreak of preventable diseases has spread across the country, including here in Michigan.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, or MDHHS, along with the Oakland County Health Division has reported eight cases of measles since March 13.
There are 22 total active cases of measles in the state, with infected individuals aged from 11 to 63, according to MDHHS.
“Unvaccinated individuals need to get vaccinated. If you do not have a record of two measles (MMR) vaccines, unsure if you have been vaccinated or unsure if you have had measles in the past, contact your healthcare provider,” Leigh-Anne Stafford, the health officer for Oakland County, said in a press release.
The Oakland County Health Division keeps an updated list of exposure locations here. There are currently 89 of them.
Measles was considered to be eliminated in the U.S. since 2000. The Centers for Disease Control recommended two doses of the MMR vaccine following an outbreak in 1989. In the late 2000s, measles became more prevalent following an increase in unvaccinated populations, with over 600 cases reported in 2014.
Dr. Rhonda Conner-Warren, an assistant professor of health programs in the College of Nursing at MSU, is also a pediatric nurse practitioner and is involved in vaccination efforts with the Ingham County Department of Health.
Health officials, including Conner-Warren, believe the illness is frequently picked up during travel abroad.
“There is an increase in the number of people not being immunized in Michigan,” Conner-Warren said. “When you go to areas of the world where people have known, active cases, and a person is exposed who has no immunity, (they have) a two-week window” until they know whether or not they are carrying the disease.
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