Hillsdale health officials urge citizens to get vaccinated. Courtesy | Detroit Free Press
Area health officials are warning the public to prepare for measles due to several outbreaks in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.
“Measles is one of the most highly infectious diseases,” said Heidi Hazel, director of personal health and disease prevention at the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, in a news release. “Anyone who has not had the disease, or who has not been fully immunized, is susceptible.”
A new case of measles has emerged in Oakland County, Michigan, the state’s first outbreak since 2019, when a large number of cases spread in the same area, according to the Detroit Free Press. Cases have also been reported recently in Lake County, Indiana, and Montgomery County, Ohio. The BHSJ Community Health Agency is encouraging residents in the area to get the measles vaccine if they have not already.
“Measles is a vaccine-preventable respiratory infection that can have very serious complications, including secondary infections resulting in hospitalization, pneumonia, encephalitis, blindness, and even death,” Hazel said.
There are currently no cases in Hillsdale, Branch, or St. Joseph counties, according to Kris Dewey, public information officer of the BHSJ Community Health Agency. She said it is unknown how quickly the infection might spread to the area.
Symptoms of measles include a high fever, red eyes, runny nose, and cough, after which a patient develops a red rash that starts on the head and spreads to the rest of the body, according to Hazel. It often comes with eye pain and sensitivity to light.
Measles symptoms usually develop seven to 14 days after exposure, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
“Immunization is the best way to protect our families from the harmful consequences of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles,” Hazel said.
People typically receive the vaccine’s first dose at 12 months of age, and the second dose between ages 4 and 6, according to Hazel.
The disease can be contagious a few days before a rash develops, increasing the possibility of unknowing transmission to others, Hazel said. According to the MDHHS, the Oakland County case likely came from international travel and is confined to the household.
If the disease were to reach the local area, Dewey said the BHSJ Community Health Agency would follow its communicable disease protocols to work with affected individuals and any contacts they had while contagious.
“We would continue to encourage vaccination of individuals of all ages, focusing on the most vulnerable to serious illness, the unvaccinated, young children, the elderly, and those who are immunocompromised,” Dewey said.
The MDHHS said residents concerned they have measles should call ahead before visiting a hospital so the facility can prepare to reduce exposure to others.
The BHSJ Community Health Agency is offering vaccinations at its offices in Branch County, Hillsdale County, and St. Joseph County, and said residents should call ahead to schedule. The Hillsdale County office can be reached at 517-437-7395, extension 336.
“I urge our citizens to obtain vaccinations,” said Tom Matthew, vice chairman of the BHSJ Community Health Agency. “Our dedicated staff are trained to answer any immunization questions.”
