UPDATE from the Fairfax County: The confirmatory test result for the suspected measles case has come back negative. Although this was not a positive case, residents are reminded of the ongoing multi-state measles outbreak and are encouraged to check their vaccination status and contact their healthcare provider if they have questions.
The Fairfax County Health Department has identified a suspected case of measles in a Fairfax County resident. The case is being investigated and it will take 24 hours for test results to confirm or rule out the disease.
If the case is positive, a press conference will be held Wednesday, Feb 11 with further information.
From the Fairfax County website:
People who have received at least one dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in the past are at very low risk of being infected with measles. Measles is easily preventable through safe and effective MMR vaccine. The best protection against future measles cases is the on-time vaccination of all susceptible people.
Measles is a highly contagious illness that is spread through coughing, sneezing and contact with secretions from the nose, mouth and throat of an infected individual. Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes and a cough. The second stage begins around the third to seventh day when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads over the entire body.
If confirmed, this would be the first case of the measles in Virginia this year.
According to the CDC, 17 states and Washington D.C. have confirmed cases of measles from January 1- February 6, 2015. 85% of the cases are are a result of a large, multi-state outbreak linked to an outbreak at Disney World. As of today, the CDC website has yet to update to include Georgia in it’s count which has since confirmed it’s first case of measles in 3 years.
Visit the CDC’s website for more information about the measles outbreak.
