Unvaccinated Child With Measles Traveled Through Alabama This Month

The Alabama's Department of Public Health is warning that a child with a confirmed case of measles traveled through the state earlier in March.

The state agency has launched an investigation and said they have already identified "probable settings where the child could have exposed others."

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They did not share further information about this specific case, but once again urged families to get their children vaccinated against measles - a serious viral respiratory disease that had been all but eliminated in the United States.

"Although the exposure of the child to others while in Alabama is thought to have been low, this case serves as a reminder for the public to stay up to date on the measles vaccine," the ADMH said.

An outbreak in west Texas has led to around 300 measles cases there, the ADMH said, and because the virus is so contagious, it infects 95 percent of those who are unvaccinated and exposed to it. That outbreak has led to the nation's first measles deaths since 2015, including a child.

The Department's vaccine recommendations, shared Thursday, are these:

• The first dose of the MMR vaccine is recommended for children at 12 through 15 months of age and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age. Two doses are over 97 percent effective in preventing measles.
• If a person has not been vaccinated and is exposed to a case of measles, one dose of MMR within 72 hours of exposure reduces the chance of getting measles.
• Infants and children, students at post-high school institutions, and healthcare staff should get two doses of MMR.
• Adults born after 1956 should get at least one dose of MMR.
• Women of childbearing age should get at least one dose of MMR before getting pregnant if they do not have records of complete vaccination.
• International travelers should be up-to-date with MMR vaccine before traveling.

For more coverage of news in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.