Measles outbreak in Columbus increases to 46 cases
A measles outbreak in Columbus has nearly doubled its cases in the last two weeks, with three places across the city getting exposed to the disease, public health officials are reporting.
As of Wednesday, there are now 46 cases in the city, according to the Columbus Public Health dashboard, up from the 24 cases that was reported earlier this month.
In addition, Columbus Public Health recently discovered that some of the infectious people were out in public places, Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika W. Roberts said during a news conference Wednesday.
Those locations are:
- Meijer, 6175 Sawmill Road. The date and time of exposure were Nov. 19, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
- Jesus Power Assembly of God, 5215 Cleveland Ave. The date and time of exposure were Nov. 20, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
- Macy’s and JCPenney stores inside Polaris Fashion Place, 1500 Polaris Parkway. The date and time of exposure were Friday, 6:30-10:30 p.m.
All 46 children were unvaccinated for the measles, with 19 hospitalized for the illness. Fifty-four percent of infections have occurred in children between the ages of 1 and 2, while 17% of cases occurred in kids between 3 and 5 years old. Eighteen of those cases occurred at schools and daycares.
Although preventable through vaccination, the measles is considered a dangerous and sometimes deadly disease.
About one in five people in the U.S. who get measles will be hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About one in 1,000 people who contract the measles could develop brain swelling, which could lead to serious brain damage, according to the CDC.
The disease is also highly contagious as around 90% of unvaccinated individuals who are exposed to measles will become infected, according to Columbus Public Health and Franklin County Public Health. Symptoms of the measles include fever, cough, rash, runny nose and red or watery eyes.
Kelli Newman, spokeswoman for Columbus Public Health, has encouraged parents with children who are not vaccinated against the measles, to get a shot. The health department offers the shot for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).
Even one shot can be up to 90% effective at preventing someone from falling ill with the measles, Newman said.
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