A person with a confirmed case of measles visited a Scottsdale Walgreens earlier in September and county health officials say any members of the public who were there need to watch for symptoms.
The warning comes amid a record-setting year for measles cases in Maricopa County. The person with measles in Scottsdale had a travel-related infection of the highly contagious respiratory illness, and marked the county's 28th case of the year, county health officials say.
Other details about the new case:
- Anyone who visited the Walgreens at 11250 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale, between 8 a.m. and 10:25 a.m. on Sept. 8 should watch for measles symptoms through Sept. 29, county health officials say.
The 28 measles cases in Arizona's most populated county is significantly elevated over the average of one case per year during the past three decades. Statewide, 123 measles cases had been reported as of Sept. 15. No deaths have been reported.
Several
factors have contributed to a rise in cases in Arizona and other parts of the United States, including an increasing number of parents who are choosing not to vaccinate their children and a distrust in evidenced-based science perpetuated by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Arizona has one of the lowest levels of kindergarten vaccination coverage in the United States, making schoolchildren in the state more vulnerable to disease outbreaks than other parts of the country.
An ongoing measles outbreak in Pennsylvania as of Sept. 17 was up to 731 cases, 141 hospitalizations, and fourconfirmed deaths, according to Pennsylvania health officials. The most recent death was an 18-year-old who suffered from a rare but known neurological complication of measles called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, the Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, coroner said in a Sept. 15 statement.
Unvaccinated people who are exposed to the measles virus are at extremely high risk. About 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to the virus will become infected, according to federal, state and county public health officials. The disease is preventable with two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is typically given during childhood. People born before 1957 or those who had measles as children are generally considered immune.
An early dose of MMR is recommended for infants ages 6 to 11 months to protect them against the higher potential for exposure.
Symptoms of measles typically appear seven to 12 days after exposure but may take up to 21 days. Symptoms include a rash that is red, raised, and blotchy; high fever (> 101° F); red, watery eyes; cough; and a runny nose.
In some situations, certain people exposed to measles may be eligible for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to reduce their risk of becoming ill. This includes some children under 12 months, pregnant women, and individuals with compromised immune systems. Individuals should contact their health care provider for guidance.
Young infants are too young for vaccination against flu, measles, and other viruses. They depend on the people around them to reduce their chances of being exposed to these viruses and becoming sick, Maricopa County health officials said in a news release. The same applies for people who are undergoing cancer treatments, who have had organ transplants, and many other conditions.
"Lots of medical risk factors are invisible, so you might never know that you’re around people who are at higher risk of hospitalization or complications from these illnesses," said Dr. Nick Staab, chief medical officer for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. "By taking these simple preventive steps, we can reduce the chances of serious sickness for our friends and neighbors, and we can keep our own families from losing time at school and work due to sickness."
Reach health-care reporter Stephanie Innes at stephanie.innes@usatodayco.com or follow her on X: @stephanieinnes or on Bluesky: @stephanieinnes.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: A person with measles was at this drug store in metro Phoenix
