Lahey Hospital Trying To Confirm Case Of Measles

BURLINGTON, MA -- Doctors at Lahey Hospital in Burlington and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health are trying to confirm a case of measles. The patient presented symptoms of a rash and fever at one of the hospitals primary care office in Lexington on Monday and was sent to the emergency room at Lahey Medical Center in Burlington.

Lahey Health's Lexington Outpatient Center sent out an email with details about the situation, according to Fox 25, which first reported this story. The patient told doctors he or she had been exposed to measles while traveling.

"Upon learning of the exposure, we immediately enacted infectious disease protocols and isolated the patient in a negative air pressure room. We also contacted the Massachusetts Department of Public Health about the suspected measles diagnosis and they are in the process of confirming the diagnosis," the email said.

Measles are highly contagious, airborne, infection, with symptoms usually developing 10 to 12 days after exposure. The illness lasts seven to 10 days. Initial symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and inflamed eyes. A red rash usually starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. While the measles vaccine is highly effective and reduced deaths by 75% between 2000 and 2013, 90% of people who are not vaccinated and exposed to the virus will develop symptoms.

For more on this story, see Fox 25. Never miss another local news story: Get free local news alerts right to your inbox.

Patch file photo via Shutterstock.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).