There is a measles outbreak in the U.S. in Washington State, 42 cases of measles have been recorded and health officials are urging immunization. Washington County Public Health Administrator Danielle Pettit-Majewski explains that measles is highly contagious and is spread through the droplets of coughs or sneezes. Those infectious droplets can be picked up on surfaces or in the air hours after someone has coughed, “And you have an incubation period of about 10-12 days, so you could be exposed and then 10-12 days you’re going to start seeing symptoms. However, four days before you see symptoms you can be infectious, so that’s what makes this so dangerous because people are exposing children, exposing unvaccinated populations, exposing immunocompromised people without even knowing that they’re infected.”

Measles has a red, spotty rash that begins on the neck and face and then spreads down over your body. It can lead to pneumonia, which is the complication from disease that leads to death. Pettit-Majewski states that for every 20 people who get measles, one gets pneumonia; one out of 1,000 get encephalitis, swelling of the brain; and one or two out of 1,000 people with measles die.

Nearly 20 years ago it was thought that measles had been or was nearly eradicated in the U.S. The vaccine is 97% effective after two doses, and the first can be given as early as 12 months of age. Pettit-Majewski says the best protection is vaccination.