Health departments throughout Missouri have increased surveillance and education efforts in response to several measles cases in Kansas City. At this time, ten cases have been identified in the Kansas City area.
Grundy County Health Department, along with all health departments throughout the state, have disease surveillance systems in place to identify illnesses like the measles. Clinicians are required to report the diagnosis of measles cases (along with other diseases) to the county health department for testing and investigation. At this time there are no lab-confirmed cases of measles in Grundy County.
Measles is a contagious, acute viral illness that is transmitted by contact with an infected person through coughing and sneezing. Patients are considered to be contagious from four days before until four days after the rash appears.
The symptoms of measles generally include a rash that appears 7-21 days after exposure. Measles typically begins with a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Three to five days after symptoms begin, a rash starts to appear. The rash usually looks like flat red spots that break out first on the face and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet.
People who may have been exposed to measles should contact their health care provider if they develop cold-like symptoms with a fever and/or rash as described above. If you may have been exposed to measles and you have symptoms, you should NOT go to any health care facility without calling first. This will help the health care facility prepare for your arrival and allow the facility to provide instructions to you to reduce possible exposures to others at the facility.
Measles is vaccine-preventable disease. Missouri statute requires children to have two MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccinations before attending school. Please check with the Grundy County Health Department or your physician if you are not adequately immunized.
For more information about the measles or MMR vaccination, please call the Grundy County Health Department at (660) 359-4196.