CLAY COUNTY, Mo. — An infant who returned with family from an international trip has measles according to the Clay County Public Health Center. A news release indicates that the infant was treated at a metro hospital and released.
Members of the infant’s family who live in the same home have been receiving vaccinations and the health center reports that the infant does not attend any daycare in the area. The infant’s gender was not specified and an investigation into how the infant contracted the disease in ongoing.
As FOX 4 reported in late April, 2014 has seen the most reported cases of the measles in the United States since 1996. There have been 187 cases reported in 17 states to date. The disease is still quite rare in the U.S., by comparison there have been more than 20,000 reported cases in the Philippines already in 2014.
Symptoms begin between 7-14 days after a person is infected according to the health center and include:
- Fever
- Blotchy rash on the skin
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red, watery eyes
- Lethargic feeling, achy
- Tiny white spots with bluish-white centers found inside the mouth
Infants and children younger than five years old, pregnant women and people with poor immune systems stand the greatest risk of contracting measles. The infected infant was not vaccinated and the health center urges people to check and ensure that their vaccinations are up to date. For more information about measles from the Centers for Disease Control, please click on this link.
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