22 measles diagnoses at Fort McCoy
Evacuees being given vaccines for coronavirus, measles, mumps, rubella
MADISON – Twenty-two Afghan evacuees arrived at Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy with measles and were quarantined during treatment, according to the state Department of Health Services.
No cases are currently active at the base, but 22 cases have been diagnosed at the military base since the arrival of the evacuees, with those diagnosed being between the ages of 4 months and 26 years. Fourteen of those people required treatment at area hospitals, according to the department.
There is no risk to the community surrounding the base, the department said in a news release.
Fort McCoy is housing about 12,600 Afghan evacuees while they work their way through the humanitarian parole process before resettlement. Immunizations are being required as a part of the parole process, including the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine. So far, 11,000 of the MMR vaccines have been administered at the base. Evacuees are also being given the COVID-19 vaccine.
“From the very beginning, we have welcomed Afghan allies to Wisconsin. We will continue to support federal and local partners in their ongoing efforts to contain the spread of measles and ensure those who have been evacuated from their home communities are receiving the medical care they need in order to be healthy and well-protected,” Karen Timberlake, secretary designee of the state Department of Health Services, said in a statement.
Measles was eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 through vaccination efforts, according to the department. The disease is highly contagious and spreads through the air. It can remain airborne in indoor spaces for up to two hours after an infected person leaves. People are infectious four days before the onset of a rash through four days after the rash onset.
Symptoms of the disease include a runny nose, fever, tiredness, cough, watery eyes and a red rash with raised bumps that starts at the hairline and moves to the arms and legs three to five days after symptoms begin.
In September, officials announced that there had been one confirmed case of measles at the fort, along with five other cases at other military installations hosting evacuees. The measles cases halted flights of evacuees from third-party countries to the U.S. temporarily, in order to prevent an outbreak of the disease.
“From the very beginning, we have welcomed Afghan allies to Wisconsin. We will continue to support federal and local partners in their ongoing efforts to contain the spread of measles and ensure those who have been evacuated from their home communities are receiving the medical care they need in order to be healthy and well-protected.” Karen Timberlake Secretary designee of the state Department of Health Services