State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris speaks at an Alabama Department of Public Health meeting on Jan. 18, 2024 in Montgomery. Harris said Alabama health officials are investigating potential measles exposures after an unvaccinated child briefly stopped in the state while traveling. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector)
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is investigating potential exposures after an unvaccinated child traveling through the state tested positive for measles.
State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris told the State Board of Health Thursday the child was passing through Alabama on the way to a beach destination with family and made a brief stop at a motel.
While the child was likely infectious at the time, state health officials said they have not identified any high-risk exposures in Alabama. The case was confirmed after the child underwent an examination in another state.
“Our team has done a terrific job of really turning over every stone looking for the possibility that people may have been exposed, but we have not found those so far,” Harris said.
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The case comes amid a growing measles outbreak centered in western Texas, where nearly 300 cases have been identified. Harris said that 95% of those infected in the Texas outbreak were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status and that measles cases in this outbreak have also been genetically linked to cases in Mexico and Canada.
Symptoms of measles, which spreads through respiratory droplets, include fever, cough, runny nose and a rash that typically starts on the face and spreads. Health officials warn that complications can be severe, with 20% of cases leading to hospitalizations, with a mortality rate of one in 1,000.
“The other catch about measles is measles, for some reason, harms the immune system, and so kids in subsequent weeks or months, even after they’ve recovered from the acute measles infections, are susceptible to other types of infections like pneumonia,” Harris said.
He urged the public to stay up to date on measles vaccinations. The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is over 97% effective in preventing the disease after two doses.
“It is coming,” Harris said. “Maybe this wasn’t the event, but we expect we’ll have measles pretty soon.”
Health officials recommend that unvaccinated individuals experiencing fever, flu-like symptoms or a rash contact a health care provider before seeking care in person to avoid exposing others.
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