More than 80 measles cases in central Ohio | WTOL 11

TOLEDO, Ohio — There are over 82 cases of measles currently in central Ohio, the majority of which are children under the age of five.

“I don’t think it’s a point for panic or fear,” said John McBride, a pediatrician at Franklin Park Pediatrics. “I think too often we jump to that, but I think it’s to the point that we should take the appropriate precautions.”

McBride said 75 of those 82 children were not vaccinated at all, either because they were too young or their parents had opted out of the vaccine. Four of the children were vaccinated once, so they didn’t have the full series of two shots. The other three children’s vaccination status is unknown. 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, measles symptoms first appear seven to 14 days after contact with the virus. They typically include a high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes. A rash appears three to five days after the first symptoms. The rash usually begins as flat-red-spots that appear on the face and spreads across the body.

“If I’m going to prescribe a medicine to my kids, I’m going to make sure that’s available to my patients,” McBride said about vaccinations. “Likewise, if I wouldn’t do that for my children, I’m going to try to persuade parents no to do that to their kids.”