A measles case has been confirmed in a Fulton County resident, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH). The department is working with the Fulton County Board of Health, Georgia State University (GSU), Inter Atlanta FC, and Sweetgreen to notify people who may have been exposed.
Health care providers are being urged by DPH to stay alert for patients showing symptoms of measles. According to DPH, “Measles symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus and typically include high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. Then a rash of tiny, red spots breaks out that usually starts at the head and spreads to the rest of the body.”
The MMR vaccine can prevent measles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends children get their first dose between 12 and 15 months old and a second dose between ages 4 and 6. According to DPH, “More than 95% of people who receive a single dose of MMR will develop immunity to all three viruses. A second dose boosts immunity, typically enhancing protection to 98%.”
Further information about measles is available from the Georgia Department of Public Health at https://dph.georgia.gov/epidemiology/acute-disease-epidemiology/vaccine-preventable-diseases/measles or from the CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html.
