Oakland County officials on Tuesday confirmed a case of measles in a child, making it the county’s second case this year.<\/p>\n
The Oakland County Health Department said the individuals who were at the Detroit Medical Center’s Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital’s Emergency Room in Commerce Township from 7:20 p.m. through 11:10 p.m. on Dec. 7 may have been exposed.<\/p>\n
The department also said officials are working with the hospital to identify people who may have been exposed so they can be connected with resources and recommendations.<\/p>\n
Measles is an infectious respiratory illness that spreads through coughing and sneezing. Symptoms include a rash, fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. An infection can be serious, leading to pneumonia or inflammation of the brain.<\/p>\n
The virus can live for up to two hours in the air where an infected person coughed or sneezed.<\/p>\n
People who were at the hospital on Dec. 7 should monitor themselves for a fever, rash and other symptoms consistent with measles. The symptoms usually begin 7-14 days after exposure, but can appear up to 21 days after exposure. Anyone with symptoms of measles should call their health care provider.<\/p>\n
“Vaccination is the most effective tool we have to prevent the spread of measles,” Kate Guzman, Oakland County’s health officer, said in a statement. “The measles vaccine helps protect our community\u2019s most vulnerable, which includes infants, children with medical conditions, and others who cannot be vaccinated.”<\/p>\n
Oakland County officials confirmed the county’s first case of measles <\/a>in June. The case was found in a person from another county who visited a Rochester Hills medical office building.<\/p>\n