Lynchburg – The Virginia Department of Health is monitoring a measles exposure in Lynchburg after an out-of-state resident with a confirmed case of measles was seen Monday in the emergency department at Centra Lynchburg General Hospital.
The person was there between 10:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Monday, March 2.
The person had recently traveled internationally, and health officials say those who may have been exposed have been contacted.
VDH Vaccine Preventable Disease Coordinator Meredith Robinson said most people in Virginia have immunity to measles through vaccination, so the risk to the general public is low.
“For someone who’s vaccinated, it’s very unlikely that they would develop measles symptoms. But of course, you can see on CDC’s website, there is a small percentage of people who have been identified as measles cases in the United States who have being vaccinated. So breakthrough cases can happen.” Robinson said.
Data through VDH shows 88.9% of 2-year-old’s in Virginia are vaccinated. Robinson says approximately 95% of kindergarteners are vaccinated for measles as it is a school requirement.
“If there was any unvaccinated individuals who were in this location during those times. There is a high likelihood or it’s at about a nine out of 10 chance, how it’s been quantified that you can develop measles from an exposure. So just, again, it’s highly infectious and we see how it has been traveling really quickly through unvaccinated communities.”
As of this report, Virginia has recorded 10 confirmed measles cases this year, double the number reported last year, VDH said. Health officials urged people who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to contact their doctor about vaccination and testing.
The City of Lynchburg released a statement about the exposure and shared an informative video to it’s Facebook page Thursday.
What to Do If You Have Been Exposed to Measles
VDH stresses if anyone who was at the potential exposure sites at the times should:
- Report your exposure to VDH by completing this short survey. Public health officials will follow up with respondents if additional actions are needed.
- Find out if you have been vaccinated for measles or have had measles previously. Make sure you are up to date with the recommended number of measles (MMR) vaccinations.
- To check your immunization status, call your healthcare provider or request records through the VDH Record Request Portal.
- If you have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, or were born before 1957, you are considered protected and do not need to seek post-exposure treatment at this time.
- People who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles should contact their healthcare provider or call their local health department immediately. People who are not immune to measles may qualify for post-exposure treatments. There is a small timeframe for these protective post-exposure treatments to be effective.
- Watch for symptoms of measles for 21 days after the potential exposure. Monitoring for symptoms is especially important for people who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles.
- If you notice symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home. Contact your healthcare provider right away. If you need to seek healthcare, call ahead before going to your healthcare provider’s office or the emergency room to notify them that you may have been exposed to measles and ask them to call the local health department. This call will help protect other patients and staff.
- The most likely time you would become sick would be between March 9 and March 23.
- Contact your local health department or email epi_response@vdh.virginia.gov to discuss any additional recommendations.