INDIANAPOLIS, IN (WTVB) – The recent measles outbreak is getting closer to Branch County.
The Indiana State Department of Health issued a statement on Friday which said a confirmed case has been reported in northern Indiana and they are working with local health officials in Steuben and LaGrange Counties to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the infectious patient.
They are also working with their counterparts in Michigan and Texas because the investigation has found a risk of exposure in those states as well.
Five of the possible exposures took place in this area.
Individuals who went to the Holy Angels Catholic Church, the San Miguel Grocery or the Walmart Supercenter in Sturgis last Sunday, March 31, may have been exposed. Individuals may have also been exposed at two Angola locations last Saturday, March 30. They were Cameron Hospital’s Urgent Care location on North Wayne Street between 3:45 p.m. and 6:35 p.m. and the Cameron Hospital laboratory between 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Anyone who may have been exposed at those locations should watch for symptoms until April 21, 2019.
Measles begins with a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes usually about seven to 10 days after exposure but can occur up to 21 days afterwards. The fever can get as high as 105 degrees. The measles rash kicks in two to four days later.
Measles is highly contagious. Because it is so easily spread, a single case is considered an outbreak.
If you are experiencing the symptoms of measles, stay home and call your healthcare provider right away before going to the doctor’s office.
