ROCHESTER, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Oakland County Health Department announced at a news conference Friday afternoon that they have confirmed a case of measles in an adult in that county.
VIDEO: Oakland County Health Department confirms measles case in adult
Officials say the patient is an adult who recently returned from international travel. They also say they are unsure of that person's vaccination status.
Health officials say the patient returned home on February 27, first experienced symptoms on March 3, and the rash emerged on March 7.
This means the period of possible transmission is from March 3 to March 11.
They say they have identified two places where the public may have been exposed. They are the Emergency Room at Henry Ford Rochester on University Drive on March 8 from 3:40 a.m. to March 9 at 9:32 a.m. and March 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The second location is the Kruse and Muer restaurant on Main in Rochester on March 3 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Related Video: Can adults get a measles shot if they don't know their childhood vaccine status?
Officials say the measles virus stays active in the air for two hours after an infectious person leaves. Early symptoms you should be on the lookout for include fever, runny nose and pink eye. If you are experiencing any of those symptoms, you should not seek treatment without calling the provider first so they can take appropriate precautions.
Henry Ford Health has issued the following statement on the announcement:
The health and wellbeing of our patients, team members and community is our absolute top priority, and we are working alongside the health department to ensure anyone who might have encountered this individual while they were in our facility has the necessary guidance and support. Vaccinations are our best protection against infectious diseases like measles, and we urge anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated to do so as soon as possible. We also encourage anyone with questions about their vaccination status to reach out to their healthcare provider or the health department.
We have measles cases every year, according to infectious disease expert for Michigan Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian.
“But what is different is that we’re seeing very large outbreaks in other parts of the country,” Bagdasarian said. “There’s a huge outbreak in west Texas right now. We’re also seeing an outbreak in Ontario, which is not that far away.”
She says the most at risk for infection and serious complications are children.
“As a parent, you’re always most concerned about the health and safety of your children, do anything for them,” parent Ronnie Whittle said.
Whittle has a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old. He says right now, he isn’t concerned about this measles case.
“Personally, I’m not like shaking or scared of that, but I do understand the seriousness of measles and it’s definitely something as a community that we should be mindful of,” Whittle said.
Bagdasarian is asking everyone to be mindful of the seriousness of the infection.
“I want people to remember that measles is not just a rash, this is not a mild rash-like illness. Measles can have really serious implications. About 20% of people who develop measles end up being hospitalized,” she said.
She’s asking everyone to get vaccinated if possible.
“If you’re someone who you’re unsure of your vaccine status or you know you didn’t get vaccinated, this is a really good time to get caught up on your vaccinations,” Bagdasarian said.
