Measles is one of the most infectious diseases and is known to travel via air from a simple cough or sneeze. There has been a rise of reported measles cases throughout the United States in the recent months. According to new reports from West Central District Health Department (WCDHD), one case of measles has been confirmed in Lincoln County. Shannon Vanderheiden from WCDHD stated that the infected person had already received the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

What the experts say

According to Vanderheiden, measles can stay in the air for around two hours and is also capable of causing brain damage, as well as death.

According to medical experts, at least two doses of the MMR vaccine is needed to fight against the contagious disease. They also stated that, though the MMR vaccine is capable of ensuring 97 percent protections against measles, there still exist a small chance of getting affected with the disease even after vaccination.

There are also reports of four more possible cases of measles in Lincoln County, but nothing has been confirmed yet. It is important that people contact healthcare centers if they show any symptoms related to measles. According to Stuart Simpson, who is a member of the North Platte Public Schools, it is their goal to update parents regarding the confirmed as well as probable cases of measles affecting the people.

Those students of the school who still did not receive the MMR vaccine were asked to stay back until April 27.

Exposed areas

According to WCDHD and Nebraska Department Of Health and Human Service, no valid information was found linking the Omaha measles cases to the one, which has been confirmed in Lincoln County. In case the health department suspects any signs pointing to measles, they must carry out a proper epidemiologic investigation of the suspected cases.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has indicated many probable exposures to measles surrounding Lincoln.

Symptoms of measles

The signs of infliction of the disease usually start to crop up around 7 to 14 days after exposure. The measles symptoms include mild fever, cough, cold, runny nose, sore throat, and red, watery eyes.

White spots may start appearing inside the mouth. These are known as Koplick’s spots. Three to five days after the symptoms first, start to be apparent, reddish-brown spots appear. These spots first appear around the face and slowly progress downwards.