Baltimore County, Maryland – The Baltimore County Department of Health is conducting an investigation regarding a possible, isolated case of measles in an unvaccinated child who resides in Baltimore County. The child was recently seen at a City hospital with symptoms associated with measles. At this time, it is unknown where the child may have been exposed to the virus, or whether the child is infected. The child is not severely ill or hospitalized and expected to recover. Confirmatory testing is pending.
The Department is working closely with the Baltimore City and State Health Departments, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify unvaccinated contacts, including patients and workers of the City hospital, who were potentially exposed during the child’s visit. Over the past five years, there have been only three reported cases of measles in Maryland, none in Baltimore County. This very low number is due to the high percentage of school-aged children being vaccinated in Maryland. Based on the Maryland Department of Health & Mental Hygiene’s 2014-2015 Annual School Immunization Survey, the estimated measles-related immunization rates were 99.2 percent for kindergarten and 99.4 percent for grades 1-12.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes and exposes an unvaccinated person. The vaccine, however, is highly successful. Some of the common symptoms are:
Fever
Rash
Runny nose
Red eyes
The best protection against measles is Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine. MMR vaccine provides long-lasting protection against all strains of measles. If your child is in need of immunizations, the Baltimore County and City Health Departments are holding back-to-school immunization clinics.
View the list of Baltimore County’s SAVE Clinics.
View information about the City’s Back to School Rally.
For more information about this case investigation:
Media reporters, call the Baltimore County Health Department Public Information Officer at 410-887-6092.
For general questions relating to measles, call the Baltimore County Department of Health at
410-887-6011.
