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(Des Moines, IA) — Measles is making a comeback in the Midwest, with confirmed cases in Iowa and Nebraska raising concerns among health officials.
“Measles is truly the granddaddy of transmissible agents. It forms very small, very infectious particles that stay in the air for quite a long time,” said Dr. David Quimby, an infectious disease specialist at CHI Health in Omaha, Nebraska.
While many associate measles with its signature rash, Dr. Quimby told WHO Radio News that the rash typically doesn’t appear until the fourth day of symptoms. Early signs include a high fever and persistent cough.
“I’m not going to go wrong by saying ‘wash your hands,’ but measles is transmissible enough that if I walk into a quickie mart with an active case and someone else walks in an hour later, they’re exposed—even if they didn’t touch anything,” he said.
Iowa reported its first measles case in six years last week, involving an unvaccinated adult. Nebraska confirmed a case earlier this week in a vaccinated child.
“I know for a fact there have to be more cases in Nebraska, because somebody infected this child. And in the DHHS report, it states the child did not leave Nebraska,” Quimby said.
He added that while the child was vaccinated, they may have only received one dose of the MMR vaccine, which could explain the infection.
“If you get a single dose at age one, you have about 95 percent protection. That means if you have 100 kids, a handful will still get sick,” he explained.