Louisiana Department of Health Confirms Second Case of Measles in the State

NEW ORLEANS, La. (KPEL-FM) - A second case of the measles has been confirmed in Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

Just like the first case of the year last week, this new one comes out of the greater New Orleans area.

Details of the latest measles case in Louisiana

Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham said both individuals are unvaccinated but not infectious. The department will continue contact tracing over the next 21 days.

LDH is crediting its contact tracing team, which worked through the holiday weekend, with discovering the second case.

Are the two individuals with measles related?

LDH did not confirm if the two individuals are related. Both did travel abroad recently, but LDH did not say if the two traveled together.

Once contact tracing is completed, LDH said more information will be released.

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Measles are very contagious.

Docts say measles is the most contagious disease on earth and it is especially dangerous to children and the elderly.

It is not uncommon to have a handful of cases each year in Louisiana. Last year, there were three confirmed cases across the state.

What is measles?

The Louisiana Department of Health describes measles as follows:

Measles is an acute, highly contagious viral disease. It is spread through the air (when an infected person coughs or sneezes) or by direct contact with a contaminated surface.

What are the symptoms of measles?

Symptoms of measles include the following:

• Initial measles symptoms include a high fever that may spike as high as 104°, a cough, a runny nose, and red, watery eyes.
• Two to three days after symptoms begin, tiny white spots (Koplik spots) may appear inside the mouth.
• Three to five days after symptoms begin, a rash will break out. It usually appears as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline, and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet.
• After a few days, the fever subsides and the rash fades.
• Symptoms generally appear about seven to 14 days after a person is infected.

How do I protect myself from measles?

The best way to protect against measles is with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. MMR is safe and effective.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles. One dose is about 93% effective.

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