Measles in Michigan: Local Case Status, Court Action, and What Vaccines CDC Recommends for Adults

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children and adults get measles immunizations. (Photo via Shutterstock)

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reminding people that immunizations aren’t just for kids as once all-but-eradicated measles makes an unwelcome comeback in the United States, with 102 cases have been reported in 14 states, including Michigan.

It’s the second-worst measles outbreak since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000, the CDC said.

Michigan’s only measles case was an Oakland County adult confirmed to have the disease on Jan. 23. The individual has since fully recovered,Oakland County health officials told MLive.com, and it remains unclear if the case was tied to a large, ongoing outbreak linked to an amusement park in California.

After the Michigan case was confirmed, a Birmingham daycare center sent letters home to parents telling them their watch for measles symptoms in their children because the sick individual’s child is enrolled there. Officials at the First Presbyterian Hand-in-Hand Early Learning Center asked parents with children who hadn’t been vaccinated to keep them home until Feb. 5, but said the school was safe and had no plans to temporarily shutter.

Related:

• Health Officials Confirm Measles Case in Oakland County, Set Vaccination Hours
• Daycare: Kids May Have Been Exposed in Confirmed Measles Case
• Vaccine Waivers Harder to Get Under New Rules
• More Michigan Parents Refusing Vaccines for Children
• Rampant Spread of Whooping Cough Prompts School Closures

The CDC says the best defense against measles is immunization. All 50 states allow it, but 48 of them allow religious and other exemptions. Officials took steps this year to make it more difficult for parents to get immunization waivers in Michigan, historically one of the most lax states in nation for vaccination compliance.

The national alarm over immunization is playing out in an Oakland County courtroom, where a judge will decide whether four young children should be immunized against the wishes of their parents, who are fighting to retain their rights to the children.

The Detroit Free Press reports Michigan Child Protective Services wants to terminate the rights of Brian and Amy Kenny of Highland Township because of their alleged long history of drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence and child abuse.

During the course of the investigation, social workers learned the four children, all under the age of 10, had never received their mandatory measles vaccinations. On Feb. 11, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Lisa Langton will hear a motion for a court order, filed by a court-appointed attorney representing the children, asking they be immunized against the virus.

Daniel Bagdale, the lawyer representing the children’s father, said his client opposes the vaccines, which some parents blame for autism in their children. Parents across the country are making the same decision, but aren’t being faced with court action, he said.

“He feels he has done his due diligence and is adamant about his position and feels that the court making him do this is a violation of his rights,” Bagdade said. “No court, to my knowledge has ever ruled that it is illegal or neglectful to not get your kids immunized. We’re moving into some new territory here.”

Experts said a court order for immunizations, especially when the parents’ legal rights haven’t officially been terminated, would plow new legal ground.

“I’ve never seen one,” said attorney Lee Somerville, a probate lawyer since the 1990s. “It’s not like this is a lifesaving situation.”

Absent termination of their parental rights, “it should be the parents decision to make,” Somerville said.

What the CDC Says About Adult Immunizations

The CDC’s list of recommended immunizations for adults 19 and older includes routine annual flu shots and regular tetanus boosters, but also vaccinations against shingles, pneumonia and HPV.

In addition, the agency recommends people born in 1957 or later check to make sure they’ve been immunized against measles, mumps and rubella.

While those are the standard immunizations recommended by the CDC for adults, individuals planning to travel outside of the country may need other shots, the agency notes. Adults, the CDC website says, should talk to their healthcare providers to find out what immunizations may be required for them.

A complete list of recommended immunizations is available on the CDC website.

The following people are most at risk of contracting measles:

The following people are at the highest risk of getting the measles:

• Infants under a year old who are too young to have received the vaccine
• People born after 1957 who received only one dose of the MMR vaccine
• People who have refused vaccination
• People from parts of the world with low vaccination rates
• People vaccinated from 1963 to 1967 with an inactivated vaccine and who haven’t been re-vaccinated

What you should know about the measles, according to health officials:

• Simply being in the same room with someone who has measles is sufficient to become infected.
• Usually about 8-12 days (but up to 21 days) after exposure, measles begins with a mild to moderate fever accompanied by cough, runny nose, and red eyes.
• Two or three days later, the fever spikes, often as high as 104-105°F.
• At the same time, a red blotchy rash appears, usually first on the face, along the hairline and behind the ears.
• The rash rapidly spreads downward to the chest and back and, finally, to the thighs and feet.
• Most students with measles are sick enough that they miss at least a week of school.
• One in every 20 people with measles develops pneumonia; more rarely, serious, even life-threatening complications can occur.
• The MMR vaccine is effective and safe, and two doses are recommended for all children.
• If you think you or your child may have the measles, call your doctor before showing up the office so that your medical provider can take precautions to make sure you don’t further spread the virus.

(Patch editors Sherri Lonon in Florida and Kara Seymour in Pennsylvania contributed to this report.)

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