This article appeared on WXYZ Detroit. Read more here.
The Washtenaw County Health Department announced on Thursday that they are dealing with a second case of measles.
This second case is in an adult who didn’t have prior immunity to measles.
Ann Arbor mom Antonia Terrazas says her child got the measles vaccine but as new cases pop up, she is worried about other children who haven’t gotten it yet.
“I live in a neighborhood that has three elementary schools, so I see little children all the time. I live next to major parks,” Terrazas said.
7 Action News wanted to find out more about this new case, so we went to The Washtenaw County Health Department. Officials with the health department say this new case is connected to the first case they reported back on March 3.
“We believe this exposure happened locally. The current case does not have a history of international or out-of-state travel,” said Susan Ringler-Cerniglia, public information officers with the Washtenaw County Health Department.
Ringler-Cerniglia says it’s crucial for people to get the measles vaccine if they haven’t already.
“The vaccine is incredibly effective and if we had the vaccination rates where we wanted them to be, i.e. everyone eligible, you and I probably wouldn’t be having this conversation because we would be much more confident that we’re not going to get outbreaks when we have cases,” Ringler-Cerniglia said.
Urgent cares and emergency rooms are on alert as these new cases are popping up.
7 Action News stopped by The Heights Urgent Care in Dearborn to find out just how hard it is to diagnose measles.
“When these people come in, it just presents like normal viral infection,” said Dr. Ali Shuayto with The Heights Urgent Care. “It’s very tough to differentiate between measles and a common cold, so what we do is look for very specific signs and symptoms including a rash that starts from the forehead or face and starts working its way down.”
Shuayto echoes the same advice form Ringler-Cerniglia when it comes to the measles vaccine.
“Now that there’s this kind of back and forth about should we get vaccinated… we just might start seeing a spike in some of these viruses we haven’t seen in years,” Shuayto said.
Anyone over the age of 1 is eligible for the vaccine.