Case of measles reported in Wake County

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Wake County health officials are issuing a warning after a case of measles was confirmed Saturday.

Health officials said the diagnosed patient showed symptoms of the disease after traveling internationally.

Measles symptoms typically include fever, watery eyes, cough, and a runny nose.

The symptoms are usually followed by a rash that appears on the face, on the hairline or behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body.

People who have received two doses of the vaccine for measles as recommended and individuals born before 1957 are considered protected for life.

For people who have not been immunized, the disease is highly contagious.

Measles can be spread through the air and symptoms typically surface about seven to 14 days after a person is infected.

People with measles are usually contagious for four days before the rash starts, the day it first appears and the following four days.

Health officials said people may have been exposed to measles if they were at the following locations:

• WakeMed Physician Practices in the WakeMed Garner Healthplex on June 8 from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m.
• WakeMed Raleigh Campus: Children's Emergency Department, Adult Emergency Department (D-Bay) or the Chest Pain Unit and Imaging from 11 p.m. on June 8 through 7 a.m. on June 9.
• WakeMed Raleigh Campus: Children's Emergency Department, Adult Emergency Department (D-Bay) or the Chest Pain Unit and Imaging June 10 from 8:30 p.m. through Monday, June 11 at 3 a.m.
• WakeMed Physician Practices in the WakeMed Garner Healthplex on June 11 from 1 p.m. through 5:30 p.m.
• Duke University Hospital's Emergency Department in Durham from 3:30 p.m. June 13 through 1 a.m. June 14.

Anyone who believes they may have been exposed to measles is asked to call the North Carolina Communicable Disease Branch at (919) 733-3419 or contact their doctor.

People who may have been exposed should not show up at the hospital or a doctor's office without calling first to avoid putting other patients or medical staff at risk.

"Please do not show up there because it is highly contiguous," said Wake County Communicable Disease Manager Ruth Lassiter. "So if you call ahead of time, they can make arrangements to meet you outside, put a mask on the person and take them to an isolation room."

Your doctor can help determine if you are immune or make special arrangements to evaluate you if you are sick.