An Oakland County resident has been infected with the first known case of measles this year in Michigan, and health officials are warning that other people may have been exposed at a Rochester restaurant and a local emergency room.

Test results Friday confirmed the case of measles in an adult who had recently traveled overseas, said Kate Guzmán, Oakland County health officer.

Guzmán would say little about the individual who was infected, citing confidentiality concerns. The person returned from traveling on Feb. 27, developed symptoms on March 3 and then the tell-tale rash last Saturday, March 8. Twice, the resident sought treatment at Henry Ford Rochester Hospital emergency room and was admitted Tuesday on the second visit.

Guzmán, a long time public health nurse, said residents should be on alert for symptoms, including a high fever, cough, conjunctivitis (pink eye) and runny nose, if they were in the following places at these times.

• Kruse and Muer restaurant in Rochester — 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. March 3
• Henry Ford Rochester Hospital emergency room — 3:40 a.m Saturday, March 8, to 9:32 a.m. Sunday, March 9
• Henry Ford Rochester Hospital emergency room — 8:30 a.m. to 5:18 p.m. Monday, March 10

Symptoms also include tiny white spots on the inner cheeks, gums and roof of mouth. Anyone with symptoms is asked to call ahead for care, so medical staff can set up isolation procedures.

In six years of the last decade, Michigan reported two or fewer measles cases a year. But it reported 65 cases total in 2018 and 2019 and health officials have repeatedly raised alarms about falling vaccine rates.
In Oakland County, the rate of childhood vaccination to protect against measles is about 80% — far short of the 95% needed for herd immunity, Guzmán said.

Measles is highly contagious, but the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is likewise one of the most effective — 97% after two doses, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The vaccine “remains our best defense against measles and is highly efficient at protecting individuals and preventing outbreaks,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

You can find Michigan vaccine providers here.

The vaccine can be effective even immediately after exposure. Additionally, measles immunoglobulin is a treatment used to prevent symptoms, effective up to six days after exposure.

Concerns about measles have grown amid recent outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico. Between them, the two states have confirmed nearly 300 cases this year, and two unvaccinated people have died.

This article is being republished through a syndication agreement with Bridge Michigan. Bridge Michigan is Michigan’s largest nonprofit news service and one of the nation’s leading and largest nonprofit civic news providers. Their coverage is nonpartisan, fact-based, and data-driven. Find them online at  https://www.bridgemi.com/.