Louisiana’s third measles case this year reported in New Orleans visitor
Aug 10, 2024 | 12:37 pm ET
Description
Measles typically begins with high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. Two or three days after symptoms begin, tiny white spots (might appear inside the mouth of a patient. Three to five days after symptoms begin, a rash breaks out that usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, torso, arms, legs and feet. (Canva)
An international visitor to New Orleans has been diagnosed with measles, the third such case of the vaccine-preventable virus in Louisiana this year, according to the state health department.
The patient was not fully vaccinated and was exposed to measles outside of the U.S., the Louisiana Department of Health reported Friday.
The state’s Office of Public Health is working to find those who came in contact with the infected person who was staying at the Ramada by Wyndham New Orleans hotel on Chef Menteur Highway.
Anyone who was at the hotel Wednesday, Aug. 7, might have been exposed to measles and are at risk for developing symptoms within 21 days of exposure, health officials said.
The patient is in isolation and has received treatment at a hospital in the New Orleans region, according to the health department.
All three measles cases in Louisiana in 2024 have been reported in the New Orleans area.
In February, two people who had recently traveled out of state were diagnosed with the highly infectious disease. Neither was vaccinated.
Measles can spread rapidly among who have not had the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, which has been in use since 1971 and proven highly effective at nearly eradicating the diseases.
The MMR vaccine is required for school children in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., although some allow exemptions for medical or other reasons. Misinformation about side effects from vaccines has led to a decline in acceptance rates.
For the 2022-23 school year, the MMR vaccination rate among students was 93.1% based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Louisiana, the rate was 92.2%.
The federal health department’s target rate for MMR vaccines, which require two rounds of the shot, is 95% in order to maintain immunity.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination rates among school children have been trending downward after holding steady near 95% for the previous 10 years, based on federal data.
As of Aug. 1, 203 confirmed U.S. measles cases across 27 jurisdictions, including 13 outbreaks, have been reported to CDC. Nearly half have resulted in hospitalization.
The U.S. has already far exceeded last year’s measles case count – 58 from 19 states and the District of Columbia.
In extreme cases, measles can lead to death. The virus can be particularly dangerous for babies and young children.
Baton Rouge, LA