Amid news of a continued measles outbreak in Kansas, another state has reportedly been exposed to the highly contagious virus as well.
State officials are cautioning the public about possible measles exposures around the St. Louis area, which might have taken place earlier this March.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, it's possible the exposures happened around March 13 to 14 in various location including Kirkwood and Chesterfield.
Measles Exposure In Missouri
Health officials from the aforementioned department, along with the St. Louis County Department of Public Health, are currently investigating the issue. The health departments say that at least one person has tested positive for the virus, who visited the affected sites during the said dates.
This person visited the Magic House museum on March 13. He was, according to community health manager Melissa Swank, an outsider, and stayed from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The museum's staff can't be certain of what places or exhibits he went into. Since measles, when exposed to air, can stay there for up to two hours, it's possible that visitors who were there up to 5 p.m. that day were exposed. Even still, no employees have reported any sickness so far.
Measles Symptoms
Officials suggest for anyone suffering measles symptoms to approach a doctor immediately. These include a rash that begins in the head or neck area before spreading out toward the other parts of the body. This doesn't appear until after seven to 21 days of initial exposure, however.
Here are other more common symptoms, according to NHS:
• a runny or blocked nose
• sneezing
• watery eyes
• swollen eyelids
• sore red eyes that may be sensitive to light
• a high temperature (fever), which may reach around 40C (104F)
• small greyish-white spots in the mouth
• aches and pains
• a cough
• loss of appetite
• tiredness, irritability, and a general lack of energy
For the uninitiated, measles is a highly contagious disease. As mentioned, it stays in the air for up to two hours, leaving many people highly vulnerable to being exposed. The virus is typically transmitted via coughing, sneezing, or any airborne transport methods. One way to prevent measles is to get vaccinated with the MMR vaccine, which is given to infants 12 to 15 months old.
Pantagraph reports that 93 percent of Missouri toddlers are vaccinated against the virus, but some remain vulnerable because the vaccine can wear off after some time has passed.
