What to Know
- Measles is very easily spread from person to person; authorities say vaccination is the best preventive care
- Typical symptoms include mild to moderate fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and sore throat
- Most cases involve people who contracted measles while traveling abroad or who did not know they had not been vaccinated
State health officials in Connecticut say there has been a third case of measles -- and that the latest person diagnosed with the highly contagious disease did not have contact with the two babies who contracted it traveling abroad.
The most recent case involved an adult in Hartford County. The two babies previously reported to have had measles live in the same New Haven County home; they had recently traveled abroad and became infected outside the U.S.
The Friday warning from the state Department of Public Health comes a day after Southington Superintendent Timothy Connellan sent out a letter that said someone with a case of measles may have exposed others at Derynoski Elementary School on April 26, 27 and 30.
Measles is an extremely contagious disease that can spread quickly among unvaccinated people. Symptoms usually begin seven to 14 days after someone is exposed to an infected person. Typical symptoms include mild to moderate fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and sore throat. As the sickness develops, a rash may emerge and the fever may boom to more than 104 degrees.
Most people who are exposed to measles are not at-risk of developing the disease since most people have either been vaccinated or have had measles in the past, before vaccination became routine. Anyone not sure if they've been vaccinated is advised to check with his or her local physician.
The Connecticut cases follow mid-April news in New York that two European tourists with measles potentially exposed others at three Jehovah's Witness facilities in the NYC area. The two tourists visited the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on New Jersey Avenue in Brooklyn between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on April 15. They also visited Watchtower World Headquarters on Kings Drive in Tuxedo Park between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on April 16 and the Watchtower Educational Center on Watchtower Drive in Patterson between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on April 17.
Officials urged anyone who was exposed and is suffering symptoms to contact a health care provider before seeking treatment in order to minimize exposure.
