Doctor: It was ‘a matter of time' before Kent County saw measles

Yahoo

02-04-2025

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Health officials are urging people to get vaccinated as Kent County reports its first measles case in over a decade.
The Kent County Health Department announced Tuesday that an adult had been diagnosed with measles. It's the first case here since 2013. The adult's age was not released.
In 2000, the World Health Organization declared measles eradicated in the United States because of the effectiveness of the vaccine. But outbreaks have popped up in recent years.
'It concerns me we're putting our community at risk when there's ways to prevent them from getting sick,' said Cathy Armstrong, a communicable disease supervisor for the Kent County Health Department. 'We would like to see everybody get vaccinated for measles if it's possible because it does reduce the risk of disease in the community for those high-risk people who could be truly affected by it.'
Kent County records first measles case in 12 years
The recent case in Kent County isn't a surprise to health experts.
'We have enough susceptible people out there now and it's circulating enough both in the world and the U.S. that it was a matter of time,' said Dr. Andrew Jameson, an infectious diseases physician with Trinity Health Michigan.
It's the state's second case this year. There are about 500 cases now across 20 states, already more than last year. Nearly all of the cases are reportedly among people who are unvaccinated.
The Kent County Health Department would not say whether the adult was vaccinated, citing patient confidentiality.
'But we would expect more people who are unvaccinated to get the disease than people who are vaccinated because it's so effective,' Armstrong said.
Armstrong said the MMR shot is 'actually the best vaccine we have.'
'It is the best way to prevent the spread of measles, and we know measles can cause severe illness in a lot of different people, especially young children, immunocompromised people, pregnant women,' Armstrong said. 'We want to make sure we're not spreading it amongst the community.'
Health experts say the measles vaccine is 97% effective with two doses at preventing the disease entirely.
'It's a little bit different than some of our other vaccines we talk about a lot like COVID and flu, where the vaccine helps you from getting severe disease but maybe is not perfect at preventing it,' Jameson said. 'The measles vaccine is a slam dunk at preventing it.'
It provides lifelong immunity, so you're still covered if you got the shot a long time ago. Once you get the vaccine, it takes about two weeks to kick in.
'The vaccine has been tested more times than most other things,' Armstrong said. 'All of the data there is on the vaccine shows that it is safe.'
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Measles is considered one of the most contagious infectious diseases out there. Jameson said the virus is believed to remain in the air for hours.
'People who are unvaccinated who are truly exposed to measles, 90% of them get measles from an exposure,' Armstrong said. 'That means 9 out of 10 people will get sick.'
Jameson said on average, one infected person can spread it to 18 susceptible people.
'COVID, at its worst, was doing one person to two to three,' he said.
Because measles is so contagious, the Kent County Health Department released a list of recent places the adult had visited:
March 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant in Kentwood
March 25 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | Gerald R. Ford International Airport
March 25 from 11:20 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Delta Sky Club near Gate A68
March 27-28 6:45 p.m. to midnight | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
March 27-28 10:40 p.m. to 1 a.m. | Gerald R. Ford International Airport
March 28 1:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. | Corewell Health Family Medicine on Wealthy Street in East Grand Rapids
If you were at any those places at those times, health experts say you're likely fine if you're vaccinated. If you're not, talk to your doctor and look out for various symptoms which can begin seven to 14 days after exposure. They can also surface as late as 21 days after.
People infected with the disease may have a high fever; cough; runny nose; red, watery eyes; tiny white spots on inner cheeks, gums and roof of mouth two to three days after symptoms begin; rash that is red, raised and blotchy that usually starts on the face and spreads to trunk, arms and legs three to five days after the onset of symptoms, according to the Kent County Health Department. If you are experiencing these symptoms, the health department urges you to call your healthcare provider before going in-person to prevent spread.
To check your immunization status, visit the . The health department urges vaccination, especially if you have international travel plans or are going somewhere with an active measles outbreak.
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