WATERBURY — There’s been a case of measles reported in Lamoille County; risk to the public is low, according to the state, and the case isn’t related to the outbreaks being reported in other parts of the United States and Quebec.
The Department of Health announced confirmation of the Lamoille County case on Tuesday, stating in a release that it occurred in a “school-aged” child who had been traveling internationally within recent days. According to the department, the child has been isolated while contagious, hence the risk to the public being considered low.
The department stated that this is the first measles case reported in Vermont this year. There were two in 2024, one in 2018, and one in 2011.
The positive test for the Lamoille County case was confirmed Monday night, according to the department. The child had been at Copley Hospital on Sunday. The department stated that the hospital is contacting people who were in its Emergency Room at that time. The department is asking anyone who was at Copley’s ER in Morrisville between 3:15 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday to confirm evidence that they’ve been vaccinated against measles and to monitor themselves for measles symptoms through March 30.
If someone does develop symptoms, they’re asked to contact their health care provider. People should not go to their health care provider, hospital or clinic without calling first to them know about possible measles exposure.
The department urged people to get vaccinated against measles, as it’s highly contagious and can be dangerous to children, especially younger ones. The department claimed that one in five unvaccinated people who get measles end up in the hospital.
Measles symptoms include; cough, runny nose, water eyes, high fever and a rash of flat spots on the head and face which then spread to the body. The virus spreads through the coughs and sneezes of people infected with it. They can be infectious four days before the rash appears. The virus is contagious up to two hours after an infected person has left the area. People can contract it by breathing it in, or touching a contaminated surface then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth.
Infected people should stay home, wear a mask around other people, and contact their medical provider immediately. There’s no treatment for measles, according to the department, but it’s preventable through vaccines. Citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, the department stated that people between 12 and 15 months old should get their first measles vaccine, then again between the ages of 4and 6. Children between 6 months and 11 months old, if they’re traveling outside the country, should be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella.
