UT/AZ: Visitor from France may have spread measles

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705320142/Utah-visitor-may-have-spread-measles.html


Utah visitor may have spread measles
By Carrie A. Moore

Deseret News
Published: Thursday, July 30, 2009 1:47 p.m. MDT

If you've visited tourist destinations in southeastern Utah within the past 10 days and haven't been vaccinated against measles, state health officials say you could be at risk.

The Utah Department of Health reported Thursday that officials are investigating the case of a young woman who arrived in Utah July 20 on a Delta Air Lines flight from Paris, then became ill with the measles on July 26 in Page, Ariz.

Apparently, the woman, who was not identified, traveled with five family members to various places, including Torrey (Capitol Reef), Moab, Arches and Canyonlands national parks, Bluff, Monument Valley and surrounding areas. The woman's father, also unimmunized, has since become ill and is being tested for measles.

Health officials said the first symptoms of measles resemble a cold and appear about 10 to 12 days after exposure. They include a fever of 103 to 105 degrees; a runny nose; and red, watery eyes. A rash usually begins a few days later and lasts about five to six days. It typically starts around the ears and hairline and spreads to the face, trunk and arms.
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[Shiloh]

Re: UT/AZ: Visitor from France may have spread measles

Source: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/07/30/20090730measles0731.html


Ariz. tourist diagnosed with measles

3 comments by Ginger Rough - Jul. 31, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

A female tourist from France has been diagnosed with measles, and she may have exposed others to the highly infectious disease during a weeklong visit to northern Arizona and Utah.

The 21-year-old woman is believed to have been contagious
between July 21 and Wednesday, public-health officials said Thursday.

During that time she traveled to Page, Tusayan, the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley, as well as a handful of other locations in Utah.

Coconino County public-health officials say the young woman was not contagious during her overseas flight, and that she and her family rented a private vehicle instead of using public transportation, which should help minimize the exposure risk.

"So far, so good," Helene Roumegous, Coconino County's senior manager for clinical services, said Thursday. "But we're staying very alert. We're on the lookout in case anyone else presents with symptoms."

Measles, an extremely infectious respiratory illness caused by the rubeola virus, has been mostly eradicated in the United States through an aggressive childhood vaccination program instituted in the early 1970s.

But it remains common in other countries.

The disease is believed to affect more than 20 million people each year around the globe, according to the World Health Organization.

Health officials here warned Thursday that anyone who has not been immunized is highly susceptible to it.

In fact, it's so contagious that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site says that 90 percent of non-vaccinated individuals who come into close contact with an infected person will also get the virus.

Measles is characterized by high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a widespread rash that typically starts near the head before spreading to the rest of the body. It can cause a range of complications, from ear infections to encephalitis, and is spread when an infected person sneezes or coughs, releasing droplets that contain the virus into the air.

In February 2008, a Swiss tourist launched a measles outbreak in Pima County after seeking medical treatment for the disease at a Tucson hospital.

The disease was ultimately confirmed in 13 other individuals, but state and county health officials spent $400,000 administering 9,000-plus vaccinations, and evaluating more than 500 suspect cases before finally announcing that they had contained the outbreak.

Coconino County health officials say anyone who develops measles symptoms should seek medical attention immediately