A child in Delta County recently came down with measles despite not traveling, Colorado public health officials announced over the weekend, suggesting the virus may be spreading undetected in the area.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported the child had no known connection to confirmed cases and hadn’t left the state in recent weeks, meaning they likely got the virus from someone who didn’t seek testing.
If health officials don’t know who has measles, they can’t notify exposed people about the need for precautions, which gives the virus another chance to spread.
People who visited two health care facilities on Wednesday evening could have encountered the virus: Delta Health Urgent Care at 296 Stafford Lane, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Delta Health’s emergency department at 1501 Third St., from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. (The virus can hang in the air for two hours, creating situations where one person could inadvertently expose people in two places at the same time.)
Two doses of the vaccine are about 97% effective in preventing measles, and unvaccinated people can reduce their risk of infection if they get the shot within 72 hours of exposure. Getting an antibody drug can lower the odds of complications if an exposed person takes it within six days.
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Early measles symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. Most people are contagious about four days before the rash appears, meaning they can spread it without knowing what they have. If someone exposed to the virus develops symptoms within 21 days, they should call ahead before seeking medical care, so the provider can protect other patients.
The child, who is younger than 5, received one dose of the vaccine. Most children receive their first dose at 1 and their .
Colorado had a flurry of measles cases early in the year, including a cluster linked to Broomfield schools. So far, the state has confirmed 23 cases this year, raising the possibility of surpassing last year’s total of 36.
In a typical year, the state had two or fewer cases.
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