Measles outbreak in Southeast Michigan now at 7 cases, health officials say
A measles outbreak in Washtenaw County, Michigan, has expanded to seven cases now under investigation – a mix of children and adults, all of them who were unvaccinated against measles.
The Washtenaw County Health Department gave an update on the outbreak on Wednesday, saying the most recent case, involving a young child, might have resulted in measles exposure at a hospital in Ypsilanti.
"As we're seeing, measles spreads rapidly when people are unprotected by vaccination or prior illness," said Juan Luis Marquez, MD, MPH, medical director with Washtenaw County Health Department. "We urge everyone who might have been exposed to follow public health guidance to protect others."
The first case in this outbreak was reported on March 11.
Washtenaw County health officials said that the patient, an adult, likely became infected while in Florida.
The confirmed cases among Washtenaw County residents are now two adults, four children ages 5 to 17 and one child under age 5.
The health department has a list on its website of about a dozen exposure locations and dates in Washtenaw and Wayne counties that these patients were at while they were considered contagious. The most recent location, added on Wednesday, is the emergency room treatment area of Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital on McAuley Drive in Ypsilanti during the afternoon and evening hours of March 21.
Measles is a highly contagious, but vaccine-preventable, disease. Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, tiny white spots inside the mouth, and a red rash on the skin.
The Washtenaw County Health Department is working with the Wayne County Health Department and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on the disease investigation and community outreach.