DPH confirms measles in metro Atlanta
Georgia Department of Public Health has confirmed a new case of measles in the metro Atlanta area.
DPH reports that an unvaccinated resident was exposed to measles while traveling out of the country and has contracted the illness. DPH said they were working to identify anyone who may have come into contact with that person during their infectious period.
This is the first case of measles in Georgia since 2020.
Measles is an incredibly contagious virus that spreads through the air when someone who is infected coughs or sneezes. The virus can then remain in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after the infected person has left the room.
Symptoms can take anywhere from seven to 14 days to appear after contact with an infected person. Those symptoms can include high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. A rash of tiny, red spots will typically begin at the head and spread to the rest of the body.
Anyone who presents symptoms of measles should contact their healthcare provider. Do not go to the doctor's office, hospital, or public health clinic without calling first to notify them. Health care providers who suspect measles in a patient should notify public health immediately.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends children get their first dose of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age and a second dose between 4 and 6 years of age.
Measles is easily preventable with the MMR vaccine. The vaccine is both safe and effective — more than 95% of people who receive one dose will develop immunity to all three viruses. A second dose will typically increase that number to 98%.
The measles vaccine became available in 1963. In the decade prior to that vaccine becoming available, nearly all children got measles by the time they turned 15.
During that decade, approximately 3 million to 4 million people were infected per year in the United States. Each year, 400 to 500 people died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and 1,000 suffered swelling of the brain due to the virus.
In 1978, CDC set a goal to eliminate measles in the United States by 1982. In reality, it took until 2000 for the CDC to declare measles eliminated.
Though cases continue to sporadically pop up, the disease no longer has an endemic presence in the country, meaning that it is generally imported from outside the country. If a measles outbreak began and lasted for a year or more, the United States would lose its measles elimination status.
Those looking to get their child vaccinated for MMR, or seeking a vaccine for themselves, can reach out to their primary care doctor or call Floyd County Health Department at 706295-6123.
For more information about measles, visit DPH at dph.georgia.gov/epidemiology/acute-diseaseepidemiology/vaccine-preventable-diseases/measles or CDC at www.cdc.gov/ measles/index.html online.