ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Public Health is confirming Monday the state’s first reported case of measles since 2012.
The infected infant arrived in Atlanta from outside of the U.S. and is being cared for at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.
DPH is working with CHOA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the patient and to prevent further spread of measles.
A child from outside the United States may have exposed as many as 100 children at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.
The infected infant, a year old or less, was treated there Saturday.
Now, everyone who was in the Emergency Department is being tracked down. The infant was on three different flights: from Keirkestan to Istanbul to Chicago and then on to Atlanta.
“It’s not everyone on the plane that would be exposed. It’s basically the individuals that are within a couple of rows of the infant,” Dr. Patrick O’Neal said.
More than 98 percent of Georgia kids entering kindergarten are immunized against measles, one of the highest rates in the nation. Infants younger than one are generally too young for the shot.
For that reason, the greatest concern is now for infants who were at Children’s Saturday. They can be given a shot at six months or a preventive medicine.
“We can actually offer them a medicine called immune globulin that will prevent measles infection,” Dr. Cherie Drenzek, state epidemiologist, said.
Local pediatricians say they're getting lots of questions about measles, and from parents checking to make sure if their kids shots are up to date.
“We always say that these diseases are only a plane ride away and this is a great example,” Dr. Robert Wiskind, a pediatrician, said.
One mother told Channel 2 Action News she always has her 9-year-old son’s shots up to date.
“I believe that every child should be vaccinated, as soon as possible. I worry about the children that aren’t vaccinated,” Terry Johnson said.
Measles is a highly contagious, serious respiratory disease. It is particularly dangerous for infants who cannot be immunized until they are at least six months old and young children who have only received one dose of measles vaccine.
There is no cure for measles, but measles can be prevented through vaccination. The measles vaccine (MMR) is highly effective, in most cases about 97 percent effective.
“Keeping immunization levels high is critical to preventing outbreaks or sustained transmission in Georgia,” said Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health. “More than 98 percent of children heading into kindergarten in our state have received all school required vaccines, which includes two doses of measles vaccine.”
Since 2002, there have been 11 reported cases of measles in Georgia - including this current one - all were imported cases or linked to an imported case.
DPH also continues to closely monitor the large, multi-state measles outbreak linked to Disneyland Resort Theme Parks in California. Since January 1, 2015, more than 100 people from at least 14 states were reported to have measles, the majority of them with ties to the Disneyland outbreak. Most of the case-patients were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. The current Georgia case is unrelated to that outbreak.
“We don’t need to be alarmists. We need to be aware,” said Patrick O’Neal, M.D., director of Health Protection at the Georgia Department of Public Health. “What happened in Disneyland is an alert that we live in a world now in which international travel is very common and frequent, and diseases are only hours away.”
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta released a statement:
Children's is caring for a patient who has tested positive for measles. Precautions are in place to help prevent the disease from spreading to others. Working closely with the Georgia Department of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health, we have identified and are contacting patients, family and staff who may have been exposed to the measles virus so that they can receive necessary preventative care. As always, our primary focus is the safety and well-being of all our patients and their families.
- Stay with Channel 2 Action News for updates on this developing story.
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