Measles Outbreak Grows to 36 Confirmed Cases in Southwest Wisconsin
All but one of the people infected in the state this year have been unvaccinated.
A skin rash is observed on a patient’s abdomen 3-days after the onset of a measles infection. The image was captured at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in 1958. Photo by Heinz F. Eichenwald, MD /CDC Public Health Image Library.
The measles outbreak in southwestern Wisconsin has grown to 36 confirmed and three probable cases.
Last week, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said they were investigating 15 confirmed and six probable measles cases in Iowa County and Lafayette County. A Tuesday statement from the department said there are now two confirmed measles cases in Grant County as well.
“Public health officials across each county continue the work to identify and notify people who may have been exposed to the measles virus,” the statement said. “At this time, no public exposure locations have been identified in connection with these cases.”
The outbreak has been growing quickly.
State officials first reported two confirmed cases in Lafayette and Iowa counties on Aug. 11. In the initial notification, state officials said the two people confirmed to have the virus appeared to have contracted it in Wisconsin “suggesting there may be additional measles cases in communities that have not yet been identified.”
Two days later, the number of confirmed cases had grown to 15.
According to state data, all but one of the people infected in the state this year have been unvaccinated. The majority are children 17 and under. Two people have been hospitalized.
Measles is highly contagious and can be spread through the air. The state DHS statement said it, “can stay in the air for two hours after a sick person coughs or sneezes.”
“Measles can cause serious health complications, including pneumonia, brain damage, and deafness, and can sometimes be deadly,” the statement said.
People who do not have the measles vaccine are most at risk, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Editor’s note: this story will be updated.
Measles outbreak grows to 36 confirmed, 3 probable cases in southwest Wisconsin was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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