Clark County Health Department Explains the Measles, Part 1
Monday, February 16th, 2015 -- 9:42 AM
-The U.S. has seen an increase in Measles cases for 2015.Many of the cases are linked back to a theme park in California where officials believe someone exposed to the disease overseas recently vacationed to.
Laura Betthauser, with the Clark County Health Department, talked about the measles in more detail.
She said, "Measles is a highly contagious disease and it's caused by a virus. It starts with a fever and then, soon after, it causes a cough, runny nose and red eyes. Then a rash of tiny red spots breaks out and it starts at the head and it spreads down the body to the arms and then to the legs."
"Measles can cause serious health complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis and even death. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. People are contagious if they're infected for 4 days before their rash starts, so even, maybe, before they're showing symptoms, through 4 days after their rash starts."
"And the thing with Measles is that if an effected person is in a location, once they leave that location, the virus can still be spread for up to two hours on surfaces and in the air."
So far, there are two cases being investigated in Portage County that authorities believe are Measles.
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