Health departments throughout Missouri have increased surveillance and education efforts in
response to several measles cases in the Kansas City area.
The Grundy County Health Department, along with all health departments throughout the state, have
disease surveillance systems in place to identify illnesses like the measles. Clinicians are required
to report the diagnosis of measles cases (along with other diseases) to the county health
department for testing and investigation. At this time there are no lab-confirmed cases of measles
in Grundy County.
Measles is a contagious, acute viral illness that is transmitted by contact with an infected person
through coughing and sneezing. Patients are considered to be contagious from four days before
until four days after the rash appears.
The symptoms of measles generally include a rash that appears 7-21 days after exposure.
Measles typically begins with a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Three to five
days after symptoms begin, a rash starts to appear. The rash usually looks like flat red spots that
break out first on the face and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet.
People who may have been exposed to measles should contact their health care provider if they
develop cold-like symptoms with a fever and/or rash as described above. If you may have been
exposed to measles and you have symptoms, you should NOT go to any health care facility
without calling first. This will help the health care facility prepare for your arrival and allow the
facility to provide instructions to you to reduce possible exposures to others at the facility.
Measles is vaccine-preventable disease. Missouri statute requires children to have two MMR
(measles, mumps, rubella) vaccinations before attending school. Please check with the Grundy
County Health Department or your physician if you are not adequately immunized.
For more information about the measles or MMR vaccination, persons can call the Grundy County
Health Department at 660-359-4196.
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