The Connecticut Department of Public Health has confirmed a third case of measles in New Haven County, and said the case is linked to the outbreak in New York City.
Health officials said the patient is an adult and that the case is linked to the outbreak in New York City, not the other two cases in Connecticut. They believe the patient was exposed in the last week of March, during a visit to Brooklyn, New York.
There have been two other cases of measles in Connecticut, which were reported in January.
Measles is highly contagious and can spread quickly if you are not vaccinated.
Vaccination is required to attend schools and colleges in Connecticut, but medical and religious exemptions are available. Health officials said the measles vaccine is very effective and two doses, which is the standard recommendation, are about 97 percent effective.
In 2018, there were three confirmed cases of measles in Connecticut.
“The good thing here in Connecticut, we have such high vaccination rates, it’s unlikely that we’ll have a large outbreak or see widespread spread of measles," explained Dr. Jack Ross.
Ross, the medical director of infectious disease and infection control for Hartford Healthcare, says the confirmation of this latest case is an opportunity for folks who have chosen not to vaccinate their kids to rethink that decision.
“This vaccine is amazingly effective, as long as you have a normal immune system," Ross said.
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Earlier this week, New York officials started requiring residents in parts of Brooklyn to get vaccinated to stop the spread of the virus, mostly among members of the Orthodox Jewish community….
So far this year, more than 460 cases of measles have been confirmed in 19 states. The second largest number of cases in the US since measles was eliminated in 2000.
Symptoms of measles generally start showing a week to 21 days after exposure. Typical symptoms begin with mild to moderate fever, runny nose, red eyes and a sore throat. Three to five days after that, a red or reddish-brown rash appears, usually starting on the face and spreading down.
The rash typically lasts a few days. Someone with measles may be contagious up to four days before the rash appears and for four days after the rash appears.
If you think you might have measles, you should avoid public and contact your doctor before going into the office to avoid exposing others.
People who received two doses of MMR vaccine as children according to the U.S. vaccination schedule are considered protected for life, reports the Centers for Disease, Control and Prevention, adding that the MMR vaccination is “very safe and effective.”
For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
