Md. Health Officials Warn About Measles

They say it’s a not just a childhood disease.Frederick, Md (KM) Health officials in Maryland are raising concerns about measles. There have been three cases reported so far this year in the state. But there are concerns it could spread, particularly in counties close to the Pennsylvania border where an individual infected with the virus visited several locations in the Keystone State.Even though it’s considered a childhood disease. Dr. Robin Motter-Mast says even adults can get measles. “If you had it as a child, you probably won’t get it. But if you’re living in an area with a high outbreak of measles–meaning that the viral load within that area is high–there is a ten percent chance you could contract measles,” she says.Measles is a virus spread through the air from respiratory droplets from  coughing and sneezing. The symptoms, which don’t appear for ten or 14 days, include coughing, runny nose, inflamed eyes, sore threat, fever and a red and blotchy skin rash.Dr. Motter-Mast also points out that measles is a highly contagious disease. “Measles is so contagious that once a person who has measles is in a room, and if they leave the room, that measles virus can still circulate for up to two hours once that person is out of the room,” she says.The MMR (Mumps, Measles, Rubella) vaccines are available for adults as well as children to protect them from measles. Dr. Motter-Mast says the MMR vaccine is safe, and a study a few years ago that said  it caused autism has been debunked. “The Lancet {a medical publication} in early 2000’s debunked that study, and that study had be removed,’ she says. “It was not done in an evidence-based manner. There have been multiple studies since that study that have not found any linkages between autism and the MMR vaccine, let alone any vaccine.”Residents who have questions about measles or where to get the MMR vaccine should speak with the primary care providers, Dr. Motter-Mast says. She also says they can contact their local health department..Health officials say children between kindergarten and 6th grade need the recommended doses of these following vaccines. DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough {pertussis}); Polio; MMR; chickenpox {Varicella} and Hepatitis C..  Starting in 7th grade, kids need the Tdap and Meningococcal (MCV4) vaccines.Recently, the Surgeon General In Florida called for the elimination of all vaccine mandates in the Sunshine State. . Dr. Motter-Mast calls that “a horrible recommendation.” “We know that there have been a lot of  the lives that have been saved with the onset of the use of vaccines,” she says. “In fact, in 2000, they would say that measles had been eradicated from the United States.”But Dr. Motter-Mast says that since then, the percentage of those being vaccinated have declined. “We lose that community immunity, or what we know as herd affect. And if you don’t have that, the virus can really spread very rapidly within communities,” she says.In a related story, Maryland’s Governor’s Office says the state is protecting vaccine access for Marylanders of all ages. In statement, it says as uncertainty continues to surround federal vaccine policy, Maryland public health officials will continue to use science-based guidance when it comes to vaccines so that residents and their families can be safe and healthy during the respiratory virus season.The statement from the Governor’s Office says Marylanders will continue to have access to vaccines at providers’ offices and pharmacies around the state as the vaccine supply is available.”The federal government’s rapid changes and unnecessary swirl around vaccine policy is harmful for Marylanders and all Americans, and could result in disastrous public health outcomes,” says Governor Wes Moore, in a statement.” The health, safety and well-being of Marylanders and their loved ones are our North Star, and we will do everything in our power to ensure they have access to life-saving medicines like vaccines.”By Kevin McManus