One measles case added in Lea, health officials on alert for further cases
Vials of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are displayed on a counter at a Walgreens Pharmacy on January 26, 2015 in Mill Valley, California. (Photo by Illustration)
New Mexico health officials reported one additional measles case in Lea County, bringing the total outbreak to 43 cases in the state.
All reported infections are in the state's southeastern corner, with 41 cases in Lea County and two in Eddy County.
Cases in New Mexico are split between children and adults, with eight infections in very young children, 11 in children aged 5 to 17-years old and 23 infections in adults.
'Just because we're seeing this small increase in cases, does not mean we see this as any sort of downward trend,' New Mexico Department of Health Communications Director Robert Nott told Source NM. 'We are still offering vaccination clinics and are encouraging people to go to their public health offices for vaccination information and vaccines at no cost.'
NMDOH warned last week that a Texas traveler with measles exposed people to the virus in a gas station, restaurant, church and hotel in Guadalupe and Valencia counties in early March.
NMDOH: Possible measles exposure in Guadalupe and Valencia counties
Measles symptoms can take anywhere from one to three weeks to develop.
Nott said there has been no update regarding any measles cases in Guadalupe and Valencia counties since NMDOH issued the health advisory.
Measles, one of the most contagious diseases in the world, is a respiratory virus spread by contact with droplets in the air, which can linger for hours. People can spread the virus several days before symptoms such as fever, spotty red rash, cough, runny nose or red eyes appear. About one in five cases is serious enough to warrant hospitalization, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Complications from measles include brain swelling, blindness, pneumonia and death.
The most effective prevention against the measles is two doses of the measles, mumps rubella vaccine, according to health officials.
In Texas, health officials on Tuesday reported another 18 cases, totaling 327 infections since the outbreak began in late January, mostly impacting unvaccinated children. The deaths of a 6-year old Texas child, and a Lea County adult, both unvaccinated, earlier this year are the first measles deaths in the U.S. in 10 years.
Just over 13,000 New Mexicans received a vaccine between Feb. 1 and March 21, which is more than double the vaccine rate in the same time last year, Nott said.
NMDOH directs any questions about measles tests, symptoms or vaccines to the Helpline at 1-833-796-8773. The helpline is staffed by nurses who can answer questions in English or Spanish.
Vaccine records can be found at the Vax View website or by calling the NMDOH immunization program at 1-833-882-6454, available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Here's an updated list of vaccine clinics hosted by the New Mexico Department of Health:
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