2 days ago
Lee County child tests negative for measles, says Alabama Department of Public Health
Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer at Alabama Department of Public Health, speaks to the State Committee of Public Health meeting on April 10, 2025, in Montgomery. Harris told the committee on Thursday that a Lee County child suspected of having measles tested negative for the disease. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector)
Alabama's state health officer said Thursday that a suspected measles case in Lee County turned out to be negative, meaning the state has not yet seen a confirmed case of the disease this year amid measles outbreaks around the nation.
Dr. Scott Harris Thursday told the State Committee of Public Health, which oversees the Alabama Department of Public Health, that the suspected case was in a child just under 12 months old who was not yet eligible for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The child had symptoms such as fever and rash, but tested negative on Wednesday.
'At this point, we don't have our first measles case from this outbreak, that we know of anyway,' Harris said.
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ADPH reported Sunday it was investigating a suspected case of measles. In March, the department investigated a possible measles exposure after an unvaccinated child who traveled through the state later tested positive for measles.
Alabama's MMR vaccination rate among kindergartners was 93.8% in the 2023-2024 school year, under the 95% rate set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to achieve herd immunity.
Harris has said in each board meeting since the outbreaks started this year that a case in Alabama 'is coming.' He said there could still be undetected cases, especially in areas with low vaccination rates, that can lead to an outbreak.
'If you have a case that reaches some population, for example, a day care, where kids aren't old enough to be vaccinated yet. You could expose dozens of children at once,' Harris said after the board meeting.
An outbreak that started with two unvaccinated school-age children in west Texas in January has now spread to at least 33 other states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Since the first outbreak this year, authorities have reported nearly 1,200 cases in people who are either unvaccinated or have unknown status. Of total cases, 12% have been hospitalized and three people have died.
The measles vaccine has significantly reduced severe illness and fatalities since it became available in 1973; previously, measles led to an estimated 48,000 hospitalizations and 400-500 deaths annually in the U.S. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles, and one dose is 93% effective.
Through April, the MMR vaccination rate in Texas was up 450%, compared to its vaccination rate in 2019, according to The Texas Tribune. Since the outbreak, Texas health officials have made the vaccine, which is typically available to children ages one and older, available to infants older than six months. Health officials have also attributed the increased vaccine uptake to public awareness.
