Georgia health officials link a 5th case of measles this year to travel

The Georgia Department of Public Health confirmed a fifth case of measles in Georgia this year — a metro Atlanta resident who was exposed while recently traveling outside the U.S.

This person was “not fully vaccinated,” according to DPH. All children are recommended to receive two doses of measles vaccine before beginning school, but adults can also receive a vaccine.

DPH said it is working identify and contact anyone who may have been exposed to the individual with measles in order to prevent further spread. DPH would only say the patient was a metro Atlanta resident and declined to share further details such as their age or where they live.

Measles symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus and typically include high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes or conjunctivitis. The best known symptom is a rash of tiny red spots that typically start at the head and spread to the rest of the body.

DPH said this is the fifth reported cases of measles in Georgia this year. Health officials confirmed two cases in a metro Atlanta family after one of the family members had traveled internationally. Both were also unvaccinated. In another case, an unvaccinated person was diagnosed with measles after traveling with an international group of students.

Credit: TNS

Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected, according to the CDC. Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The virus can stay in the air or live on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person has left the room.

Infected people can spread measles to others from four days before until four days after the rash appears, according to the CDC.

But the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, which is traditionally given to children, is very effective and can prevent illness. The CDC recommends children receive their first dose of MMR vaccine between 12 to 15 months and a second dose between 4 and 6 years of age. Exemptions in Georgia and most other states can be given for both medical and religious reasons.

About 95% of the people who receive a single dose of MMR will develop immunity to all three viruses. A second dose boosts immunity, typically enhancing protection to 98%.

People with symptoms of measles should contact their health care provider immediately. They should not go directly to a doctor’s office or hospital without calling first to discuss symptoms and take precautions to avoid spreading the illness to others.

With wide use of the vaccine, measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. But in 2019, the U.S. saw nearly 1,300 measles cases across 31 states, making the highest number since 1992 and a record since measles was considered eliminated in the country. The 2019 outbreak in the U.S. included an outbreak of 11 cases in Cobb County, which was contained.

Since 2020, there have been between 13 and 121 measles cases in the U.S. annually, according to the CDC.

According to the CDC, most measles cases in the U.S. occur when unvaccinated or partially vaccinated Americans travel internationally, contract the disease, and then spread it to those who are unvaccinated after they return home.

Get all the news about the Atlanta Braves delivered each morning. Sign up for Braves Report.