New England state issues health advisory after child tests positive for measles
A New England state has issued a public health advisory after a child recently tested positive for measles.
In an announcement Friday, Maine’s Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory said it notified the Maine CDC of a positive PCR test for measles in a child.
The child’s positive sample is being sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation of wild-type measles versus vaccine measles strain because the child received a dose of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, officials said.
The child, who became ill with fever and rash on April 30 and is being considered infectious, the Maine CDC said. A clear source of the infection hasn’t been identified.
“Potentially exposed individuals should check their measles immunization status and monitor for symptoms and contact a healthcare provider if symptoms develop. Those who are not immunized or do not know their measles immunization status should get vaccinated with at least one dose of MMR vaccine to protect from subsequent exposures,” state health officials said. “Maine clinicians should increase surveillance for rash illness suggestive of measles to identify early potential cases and prevent the spread of disease. The best protection against measles is vaccination.”
Measles is a highly contagious, acute viral illness characterized by fever (as high as 105°F) and malaise, cough, coryza, and conjunctivitis followed by a maculopapular rash. The incubation period, the time it takes symptoms to appear after acquiring the virus, is typically 10-14 days but can be as long as 21 days. The rash usually appears about 14 days after a person is exposed. The rash spreads from the head to the trunk to the lower extremities. Measles can cause severe health complications including pneumonia, encephalitis, and death.
Measles spreads to others when an infected person coughs or sneezes. After an infected person leaves a location, the virus can live for up to two hours in airspace or on surfaces where the infected person coughed or sneezed.
Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will become infected. Infected individuals can spread measles to others from four days before the rash appears to four days after the rash appears.
Individuals were potentially exposed to measles if they were at any of the locations during the defined time periods:
Family Time Dine and Play at Auburn Mall in Auburn on April 29, 2023, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Clear Choice MD in Scarborough (273 Payne Road) May 1, 2023, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Hannaford on Cottage Road in South Portland (Mill Creek Hannaford) May 1, 2023, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Mercy Fore River Emergency Department May 2, 2023, 7:45 p.m to midnight
Mercy Fore River Emergency Department May 3, 2023, Midnight to 3:30 a.m.
All suspected cases of measles should be reported immediately by phone to 1-800-821-5821.
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