RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) confirmed its first case of measles involving a child who recently traveled internationally and lives in the Shenandoah Valley area earlier this month.
Dr. Sean McKenna, an associate professor of general pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, told CBS 6 he is most worried about the unvaccinated, as other states are experiencing outbreaks of the dangerous virus.
Right now, VDH reports about 95 percent of Virginia’s kindergartners are vaccinated.
“We may have, generally speaking, 95% across the state of Virginia. But there may be pockets where it's closer to 80%, 85% [vaccinated], and those are the pockets that are going to bring measles in, and that's when it can spread more broadly in Virginia,” Dr. McKenna explained.
Measles is highly contagious and spreads when an infected person breathes or coughs.
The first symptoms include a fever and a rash that starts on the face at the hairline and spreads to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet. A cough, runny nose, or red, itchy eyes may also be present.
Symptoms usually begin 7–14 days after exposure but can appear up to 21 days after exposure, according to VDH.
“It's really one of the most contagious viruses we've ever been able to identify. If we get into situations where measles is spreading in communities, bringing it back under control becomes incredibly challenging,” Dr. McKenna stated. “Measles can be deadly. Measles can cause some really severe consequences.”
Dr. McKenna and his fellow pediatricians are ramping up their messaging surrounding the virus and the protection it offers to children.
He said families are asking many questions about the vaccine, and his job is to educate parents about the protections the shot can give children.
Babies under a year old are typically not given the measles vaccine, but McKenna said they are making exceptions for parents who are worried their baby may be exposed to measles.
“We've been doing more early measles vaccination simply because we're not sure how big this situation is going to get. This outbreak is already too big and tragic, but we don't know how much bigger it's going to get,” he shared. “The reality is that, until we get significant amounts of people who are unvaccinated vaccinated, this will continue.”
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