The health alert was sent to health officials, medical personnel, and potential travelers amid the outbreak, which has led to two confirmed deaths.
“With spring and summer travel season approaching in the United States, CDC emphasizes the important role that clinicians and public health officials play in preventing the spread of measles through vaccination,” the agency said in its statement. “They should be vigilant for cases of febrile rash illness that meet the measles case definition, particularly in unvaccinated persons, and share effective measles prevention strategies, including vaccination guidance for international travelers.”
The CDC said that the possibility of widespread measles cases remains low because of “robust U.S. immunization and surveillance” systems. It promoted the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine that is commonly given to children.
The health alert was mainly for health care personnel to make sure that they isolate people with a suspected case of measles immediately, notify local and health officials if a suspected case is detected, perform laboratory testing to confirm if it is a case, and provide supportive and post-exposure care.
State and local officials are also advised to report any measles case, if confirmed, within 24 hours to the CDC and also to carry out surveillance, according to the health alert.
People traveling to domestic or international locations where there are suspected outbreaks are advised to “watch for signs and symptoms of measles for 3 weeks after returning to the United States,” the CDC stated.
“If you or your child gets sick with a rash and a high fever, call your healthcare provider, tell them you traveled to an area where they identified measles or another country and whether you or your child had received MMR vaccine,” it advised.
“There has been one fatality in a school-aged child who lived in the outbreak area. The child was not vaccinated and had no known underlying conditions,” the Texas Department of Health and Human Services stated.
On March 6, New Mexico health officials confirmed that an unvaccinated adult who had died without seeking medical care had tested positive for measles. The state medical investigator has not announced the official cause of death, but the state health department said a day later that it is “measles-related.”
Although the Texas and New Mexico outbreaks make up most of the nation’s case count, the CDC has also confirmed measles cases in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington this year, the agency added in its health alert.
Symptoms include a fever as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit, malaise, cough, and conjunctivitis, as well as small white lesions that appear on the inner lining of the mouth. After about 14 days, a rash appears and can spread from the head to the body to the lower extremities, according to the agency.
