Public health officials this week confirmed the first case of measles in Los Angeles County in 10 years amid rising numbers of cases across Texas and the nation.
The Los Angeles County Public Health Department said a non-Los Angeles resident travelled to Los Angeles International Airport while infected with the disease on Terminal B’s South Korean Air Flight on February 19. According to the Orange County Healthcare Agency, the infected traveller was a toddler who returned to Orange County after an international trip.
Measles is a viral infection that spreads in the air and through droplets. It can lead to serious health effects, including death. According to the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, it can spread by breathing, coughing, sneezing or touching an infected surface. The infection is highly contagious, the Centers for Disease Control said that measles can be obtained simply by being in a room with infected people.
Three cases of measles have been reported in California as of February 22nd. There are 164 cases across the United States in states, including Alaska, Georgia, Georgia, Kentucky, New York, New York, Rhode Island and Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The largest number of cases and first deaths from the disease since 2015 – children who have not been vaccinated – occur in rural West Texas.
Experts say the rise in cases is caused by an overall decline in measles vaccination rates around the world since the Covid-19 pandemic. Infectious diseases are highly contagious and at least 95% of the community should be vaccinated. In the US, most states are below the vaccination threshold for 95% of kindergarten children.
Travelers and Airport Staff who were at Terminal B – China Airlines, Air France, all Japan Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways and other flights are at risk of developing measles as there is a possibility of exposure from February 19th between 4pm and 4pm.
Another possible exposure site includes specific seats on Korean airline flights. Potentially exposed passengers can be expected to contact the local health department.
“Measles is a serious respiratory disease that easily spreads in the air and on the surface, especially among people who are not yet protected,” said Los Angeles County Health Officer Muntu Davis.
Three cases of measles have been reported in California as of February 22nd. There are 164 cases across the United States in states, including Alaska, Georgia, Georgia, Kentucky, New York, New York, Rhode Island and Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Public health officials advise you to check if you have been vaccinated from measles.
If you have no measles in the past and have not yet received the measles vaccine, county public officials say if you are exposed you are at risk of getting sick.
If you are flying or an infected traveler is at the terminal that passed through you:
Check your vaccinations and medical records to determine if you are protected from measles. If you are pregnant, contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible about potential exposures if your immune system is weak or you are not immunized to the disease. Parents or guardians of potentially exposed infants should contact their pediatrician. Monitor your symptoms. Symptoms occur, stay home and do not enter the medical facility before making the first call.
How long does the symptoms take?
“Before you have symptoms, a person can spread the disease to others and it can take between 7 and 21 days for symptoms to appear after exposure,” Davis said.
Exposed individuals who have been without symptoms for more than 21 days are no longer at risk.
What are symptoms?
For 7-14 days after exposure, symptoms may include high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, and rashes.
A rash may occur on the face and neck within 7-18 days after exposure. The rash can spread to your hands and feet over three days. Health officials say the rash will last five to six days when it fades.
Infection can cause severe complications such as blindness, encephalitis (an infectious disease that causes swelling of the brain and causing brain damage), severe diarrhea and related dehydration, ear infections, difficulty breathing due to pneumonia, and in some cases difficulties with death, according to the World Health Organization.
“Measles can lead to severe illness in young children and vulnerable adults,” Davis said.
According to public health experts, complications are common in children under the age of 5 and adults over the age of 30.
How to protect yourself from measles
Health officials say the best way to protect against measles is to use measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines. Two MMR vaccines are approximately 97% effective in preventing measles. One dose is approximately 93% effective. The CDC recommends getting the first dose of the MMR vaccine at 12-15 months and the second dose at age 4-6 years.
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