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Local health officials encourage measles vaccine after 18 reported cases in Columbus

Columbus Public Health reported 18 cases of measles in unvaccinated children Thursday. Local health officials said measles vaccines are the best form of prevention.

TOLEDO, Ohio — Eighteen cases of measles are under investigation in the Columbus area after officials detected the outbreak at seven daycares and one school, the Columbus Public Health Department said Thursday.

Seventeen of those cases are children under five years old, the age group most susceptible to the disease, according to the CDC.

The children reported to have measles are not vaccinated for the disease, Columbus Public Health said.

But Lucas County Health Commissioner Eric Zgodzinski said anyone can contract the highly contagious measles, which is transmitted through respiratory droplets mostly from the mouth and nose.

"If there are 10 people in this room, I'll infect probably nine of those 10 at least," Zgodzinski said. "And then once I exit the room two hours later, you can still get measles, whether it's through a surface or if it's airborne."

He said one out of three people with measles are usually hospitalized, and one out of 1000 could come down with a case that leads to death.

The CDC declared measles eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but outbreaks still occur. like the ones reported in Columbus. Zgodzinski said people staying indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic could be a factor.

"I think you're seeing the ramifications, the product of COVID and the lag of the vaccination process," he said.

Zgodzinski said he would like to see numbers back to where they were pre-covid which were around 90% for kindergarten kids.

ProMedica Infection Preventionist Brenda Naylor also works to prevent the spread she said comes in two stages.

"Cough, it's a runny nose, and it's red watery eyes. So those are the first stages, and you might start to see some white spots that appear in the mouth," she said.

Naylor said in the second stage, some may develop a red, blotchy rash after three to five days, which then lasts several more days. She said serious cases can lead to high fevers, pneumonia, brain swelling or infection.

Naylor and Zgodzinski are both advocates of vaccines. Naylor said vaccines are 90% effective at treatment and even more so with two doses.

"The vaccination is very effective and it's very safe, it's been given for decades," Naylor said. "Unlike what has been reported several decades ago that it can be linked to autism, that has been proven not to be the case."

Both health officials said to contact your primary care physician if you are exhibiting symptoms. The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department offers Shots 4 Tots and adult immunizations for measles and more.

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