BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare confirmed an Idaho resident from Southwest Boise contracted measles, prompting health officials to issue a reminder of the importance of vaccines.
The resident, whose name hasn't been released, was not vaccinated from measles and was exposed to the illness after traveling internationally. They were hospitalized and are currently recovering at home. However, when they returned, they potentially exposed others.
IDHW says they visited the Boise Airport on Sept. 13 and Nampa on Sept. 14-15 during his infectious period, potentially exposing others. Health officials are investigating and contacting those who may have been exposed. Not all potential contacts have been identified yet.
Measles can be contracted at any age, not just during childhood. There is no specific treatment for measles, but vaccinations can help prevent the illness.
"The best way to protect yourself and your family against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases is by immunization," said Ricky Bowman, epidemiology program manager with Southwest District Health. "Measles can be prevented by the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, which protects against all three illnesses. It's considered to be 97% effective at preventing measles after two doses."
Information from IDHW says measles is so contagious that if one individual has measles, up to 90% of contacts with that individual who are not immune will also become infected. Measles lives in the air for two hours and can spread for up to four days before and after the rash appears.
"Measles is an acute, highly contagious viral disease and could quickly spread to others," said Dr. Christine Hahn, Idaho state epidemiologist and medical director for the Division of Public Health at the Department of Health and Welfare. "Measles can spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing, but also by breathing the contaminated air or touching a surface that has respiratory droplets on it."
Symptoms of measles include a fever, runny nose, cough, rash and white spots that may appear in the mouth.
IDHW recommends children get their first measles vaccine between 12 and 15 months and another at 4 to 6 years old.
People experiencing symptoms of measles are urged by the IDHW to contact their medical provider. Also, they said not to go into any clinic, pharmacy or other healthcare setting without calling ahead to reduce the chance of spread.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.