NC health officials stress importance of vaccines after 1st reported measles case in 6 years

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Measles cases are on the rise across the country and globally.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services says the state has its first reported case of measles since 2018. The case involves a child in Mecklenburg County.

According to a release from the DHHS, the child’s parents kept them at home after returning to North Carolina from traveling abroad, with the exception of a medical visit. DHHS officials says they are working with Mecklenburg County and the CDC to notify those who may have been exposed and the child’s travels did not involve any airports in North Carolina. The department tells CBS 17 the child did not require hospitalization and is recovering at home.

According to data from the CDC, since the pandemic, parents filing for vaccine exemptions have gone up to about 3%.

The last reported case of measles in Wake County was 2016. “We are always on the lookout for measles cases,” Wake County Health Director Rebecca Kaufman said. “Measles was eradicated from the United States back in 2000. Now that we’ve seen a decrease in immunization rates, we’re seeing cases again.”

When looking at immunization rates in 2023, 92.3% of kindergarteners in Wake County were considered up to date on all required vaccines. That data, according to DHHP, is only based on schools that reported to the department on students’ immunization compliance status that year. It says the data cannot be interpreted as population-level coverage and the data displayed in the CDC’s estimates are adjusted for non-response and is weighed for sampling “when appropriate”.

According to immunization coverage estimates from the CDC, in North Carolina, 94% of Kindergarteners were up to date on their MMR vaccine for the 2022-2023 school year, compared to 93% nationally.

“The MMR vaccine is 97% effective with two doses,” Kaufman said. “We encourage all kids across Wake County and the country to have their two dose series.”

NCDHHS says it is following routine surveillance protocols, along with working closely with health departments on the local level. There are currently no other suspected cases in the state.

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