The measles surge in the U.S. started small early this year and, by the summer, eventually grew to the most cases the country has seen in 33 years. There are 1,333 cases across 39 states as of the end of July.
While Utah has a relatively low summer caseload — 11 so far — kids will soon be back in school. University of Utah pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Trahern “TW” Jones anticipates cases to rise in Utah and nationally this fall.
“It's really important to remember measles is the most infectious human pathogen on Earth,” Jones said. “It takes just one child with an active measles case in a classroom full of unimmunized or underimmunized kids to infect literally dozens of other children with one pass.”
And he’s worried about the number of kids who haven’t received the recommended vaccines for their age.
Across Utah and nationwide, the percentage of parents seeking vaccine exemptions for their child — either for medical, religious or personal reasons — has sharply increased in recent years. Last school year, over 10% of Utah kindergarten students had a vaccine exemption, almost three times the national average of 3.6%.
The risk isn’t the same everywhere in Utah.
Nearly 10% of kindergarten students across the state were missing documentation for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine last school year. In the state’s Southwest health district of Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane and Washington counties, that number was 19.3%. It also has the highest vaccine exemption rate for that grade level in the state. That health district also has four of the state’s reported measles cases. Utah County has seen seven cases.
For parents whose child does not have the MMR vaccine, Jones recommends they talk with their doctor.
“It's the best way, and truly the safest way, to prevent your child from catching what can be a very potentially dangerous disease,” he said.
When parents are hesitant about vaccinations, Jones said he always wants to have a conversation with them “because I’m on their side in that we're here working together to make sure their child is safe.”
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services is also preparing for the start of the school year and how it would respond in the event of school-related cases. The department’s measles epidemiologist, Amelia Salmanson, said she doesn’t want families to be afraid to send their kids to school. While some areas are more concerning than others, there is vaccine coverage in the state.
As far as what families can expect this fall, Salmanson said if their child is exposed to measles at school but is vaccinated, their risk of getting the disease is very low. Even with just one of the two recommended doses of the MMR vaccine, Salmanson said a child is still over 90% protected.
If a child is not vaccinated and exposed to measles, Salmanson said they may be asked to stay home from school for up to 21 days, sometimes longer, and monitor for symptoms. The goal is to prevent any further spread because of how contagious it is.
If someone does go to school with measles, Salmanson said the local health department would work with the district to identify who may be at risk and make community recommendations.
Like Jones, Salmanson agrees that the best way people can protect themselves and their families is to get the MMR vaccine. She added that people should stay home if sick.
Early symptoms of measles typically include a high fever, cough, runny nose and red watery eyes. Jones said a rash will often develop a couple of days after the fever, usually starting with red splotchy dots around the hairline, which then spread across the body. Measles can cause hospitalization, diarrhea, pneumonia, brain swelling, seizures, a weakened immune system and death.
If a child is not immunized and develops a fever, Jones recommends parents call their doctor, as the early symptoms of measles can easily be mistaken for other viral infections.
