Infant With Measles Released From Atlanta Hospital

An infant who was transported to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston for treatment of measles last week has been released.

According to WSB-TV, health officials now know that the infant came to the United States via Kyrgyzstan and made stops in Istanbul and Chicago before landing in Atlanta. 11 Alive News reports that the little boy was showing signs of measles while on board the plane.

11 Alive News says the infant was first admitted to the hospital on Feb. 6 and was immediately placed in isolation. Following treatment, the infant was released from the hospital on Tuesday.

Health officials are now trying to locate some 200 people who may have been exposed to the virus due to coming into contact with the infant, WSB-TV says. Around 30 of those people were not known to be vaccinated against the virus, increasing their risk of catching the potentially deadly disease.

Measles can be prevented through vaccination, but infants below six months old cannot be immunized. Health officials report that 98 percent of all Georgia children entering kindergarten are up to date on their shots, WSB-TV reports.

This latest measles case was the 11th reported in Georgia since 2002, WSB-TV says. All cases since 2002 have been imported or transmitted by an imported patient.