The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) has confirmed four additional cases of measles.
These cases are close contacts of the measles case confirmed last week. This outbreak is associated with a daycare in metro Atlanta; the children were either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated.
Measles is very contagious and spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The measles virus can stay in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person has left the room.
Measles symptoms typically appear 7 to 14 days after exposure, including high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. Then, a rash of tiny red spots appears. It starts at the head and spreads to the rest of the body.
People with measles symptoms should contact their doctor immediately. Do not go to the doctor’s office, the hospital, or a public health clinic without first calling to let them know about your symptoms.
For more information about measles, log on to https://dph.georgia.gov/epidemiology/acute-disease-epidemiology/vaccine-preventable-diseases/measles or https://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html.