News

Actions

Michigan’s first Measles case of 2015 confirmed

Posted at 4:35 PM, Jan 23, 2015
and last updated 2015-01-23 16:35:21-05

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Community Health has confirmed the state’s first measles case of the year.

The case involves an adult in Oakland County, and may be associated withthe recent Disneyland outbreak in California, according to a release.

Michigan is now one of seven states reporting the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“As we are seeing with the recent outbreak in California, measles is a highly communicable disease that can affect both children and adults,”  Dr. Matthew Davis, Chief Medical Executive with MDCH, said in a release.  “The best way to protect our families and communities against measles is to get vaccinated.”

MDCH reports that there were five measles cases in Michigan last year, and 644 in the United States.   The vast majority of those cases were people who had no history of vaccination against measles, officials said in a release.

“The measles vaccine is highly effective and very safe. Adults who do not have evidence of immunity against measles should get at least one dose of the vaccine,” the release says.