Third Confirmed Measles Case In Connecticut in 2019

CONNECTICUT — The Connecticut Department of Public Health confirmed Friday a third case of measles in Connecticut for 2019 in an adult from New Haven County. Information received by the Connecticut Department of Public Health indicates the person contracted measles after being exposed during the last week of March while on a visit to Brooklyn, N.Y., and is linked to an ongoing outbreak of measles in New York City, the DPH says.

According to a news release, the latest case of measles is not related to two previously confirmed cases in Connecticut reported in January.

"We are monitoring and investigating this case very closely, including working with our local health departments to follow up with any individuals that may have been exposed to measles," Connecticut DPH Commissioner Renée D. Coleman-Mitchell said in a release. "Science tells us that the single best thing anyone can do to protect themselves from this highly contagious virus is to get vaccinated. Connecticut has very high vaccination rates, so we are at low risk for a widespread measles outbreak. If you have a fever and a rash and you think you might have measles, you should avoid public settings and call your healthcare provider before going directly to a healthcare facility so steps can be taken to avoid possibly exposing others."

According to the DPH, the latest case of measles in Connecticut had rash onset on April 11, 2019. The infectious period for this individual is between April 7 and 12, and the case was isolated as of Friday.

The DPH is working with local health departments and healthcare providers to identify and inform identified contacts of the case. It is possible that secondary cases of measles among some of these contacts may occur, especially among those who have never been vaccinated for measles.

Fortunately, the majority of people exposed to measles in Connecticut are not at-risk of developing the disease since most people have either been vaccinated or have had measles in the past, before vaccination became routine, according to the DPH.

The United States has recorded more than 450 measles cases in 2019, a figure that is already the second-highest in a decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Through April 4, 2019, there have been 465 measles cases in the United States reported in 19 states, the CDC said. Over the past decade, the only year the U.S. recorded more cases than that was in 2014 when there were 667 cases.

The CDC is also monitoring measles outbreaks in seven separate jurisdictions:

• Rockland County, New York
• New York City
• Washington
• Santa Cruz County, California
• New Jersey
• Butte County, California
• Michigan

The 19 states that have reported cases to the CDC in 2019 are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

In 2018, three cases of measles were reported in Connecticut.

SEE ALSO: Measles Outbreak Shows Difficulty Balancing Rights, Public Good

Measles is a highly contagious, but completely preventable disease.

The majority of people who get measles are unvaccinated and the disease can spread when it reaches a community where groups of people haven’t received the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR vaccine, according to the CDC. The agency says more measles cases can occur if there’s an increase in the number of travelers to the United States who have measles or if the disease spreads within pockets of unvaccinated communities.

Measles spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The CDC says two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97 percent effective in preventing measles. One dose of the vaccine is 93 percent effective in preventing measles, the agency said.

You can read more about measles via the CDC here.