5 Confirmed Cases Of Measles In Santa Clara County

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA -- Santa Clara County public health officials are reminding residents to make sure they're vaccinated after five recent cases of measles have been confirmed in the county as of Wednesday. The cases, which have arisen since early March, don't pose a high risk to the general public but those who have not been vaccinated have a higher chance of coming down with the disease, according to Santa Clara County Public Health.

Health experts explained that measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease that spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms begin with a fever, runny nose, cough and red eyes.

Measles usually become more obvious when a rash that spreads all over the body follows those symptoms.

Vaccination against measles is part of routine immunizations for children and is often required for school entry, but two doses of the MMR vaccine can be administered to children through regular healthcare providers.

The Adult Immunization and Travel Clinic, located at 976 Lenzen Ave. in suite 1100 in San Jose, can vaccinate those 18 years old and older.

Luckily, health officials said that the percentage of children who have been vaccinated for measles in the county is high at over 97 percent in public schools and over 94 percent on average in private schools.

Santa Clara County public health officials recommend checking that all family members are vaccinated or that they get vaccinated as well as calling healthcare providers early on if one suspects they or their children
have contracted the disease.

For more information about measles and how to protect against the disease, visit https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/index.html.

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