4th Measles Case Confirmed In CT

HARTFORD, CT — The state Department of Public Health has confirmed a fourth case of the measles in Connecticut for 2019 for a school-aged child in Fairfield County. DPH determined the child wasn't infectious while at school.

The child contracted measles sometime in early October and the case isn't related to three previous ones that were reported in January and April.

“We are monitoring and investigating this case very closely, including working with our local
health departments and medical providers to follow up with any individuals that may have been
exposed to measles,” said DPH Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell. Coleman-Mitchell and Gov. Ned Lamont are recommending that the state repeal non-medical vaccine exemptions.

A recent data release from DPH shows that the rate of school-aged children receiving the Measles, Mumps Rubella vaccine is declining. There are 134 schools throughout the state where the MMR vaccination rate falls below 95 percent for kindergarteners. Connecticut's rate for non-medical vaccine exemptions is higher than the national average.

Related: School-By-School Vaccination Rates In CT

There have been more than 1,200 individual cases of measles reported to the CDC between Jan. 1 and Oct. 1 in the U.S. It is the largest number of cases since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there were three to four million measles infections per year in the United states in the decade leading up to when the measles vaccine was introduced. There were 400 to 500 estimated deaths, 48,000 hospitalizations and 1,000 cases of brain swelling annually.

The average measles incubation period is 14 days with a range of seven to 21 days. Cases are infectious four days before a rash appears and four days after.

Most Connecticut residents are protected from the measles either through vaccination or already getting the disease and developing immunity.

The CDC recommends that children get two doses of the MMR vaccine with the first dose at 12 to 15-months of age and the second between four and six-years-old. One dose is 93 percent effective and two doses are 97 percent effective at protecting people from contracting the disease.

Measles symptoms start with a mild or moderate fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a sore throat. A rash appears three to five days after the start of symptoms and can spread across the entire body. Sometimes a fever can spike to more than 104 degrees when the rash appears.