Health officials in TN warn about exposure to measles after the patient has gone to the Chattanooga gas station



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According to the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH), people may have been exposed to measles in Chattanooga after visiting a patient at a local gas station.

According to TDH officials, the resident of Eastern Tennessee visited Mapco at 200 Browns Ferry Road.

According to the authorities, those present at the scene on April 11, 2019 from 7:30 pm to 10 pm may have been exposed to the highly contagious disease.

TDH indicates that people should check their vaccination status to see if they are up to date.

TDH officials said the patient also went to the Speedway at 2148 North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard in Clinton, Tennessee. Anyone who was present on April 12, 2019 from 5:30 pm. at 8 pm should check their vaccination status.

TDH officials say they confirmed a case of measles in Tennessee this year, but that person also made a stopover in Alabama during the infectious period.

According to the Department of Health, the infected person stopped at 651 Hwy 28 W, Livingston at 2:20 am at D & J Travel Plaza. and chick-yarn-A at 1824 Glenn Boulevard Southwest, Fort Payne at 5:54 am on April 11, 2019.

Health officials say that they are working to contact hundreds of people who may have been exposed to the infected person up to now.

Health Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Hart told Knoxville News Sentinel Monday that more than 600 people may have been exposed. This number includes both residents in and out of the state who may have been in contact with the infected person.

Health officials announced last week that a person in eastern Tennessee had been tested positive for measles. According to officials, only 15 other cases have been diagnosed in this state in the last decade. The largest and most recent outbreak involved seven cases in Shelby County in 2016.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all children receive two doses of measles vaccine with 97% effectiveness.

"Most people in Tennessee are vaccinated against measles and protected against measles," said Tim Jones, chief epidemiologist at TDH. "This appearance of measles reminds the importance of vaccines in protecting our population. We invite all those who have not been vaccinated to do so now to protect themselves, their families, their colleagues and their communities. "

WHAT TO DO:

If you have visited any of these places, TDH recommends you to:

Check your vaccination status. Locate your vaccination records. People who have received two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine or the MMR vaccine are protected against measles and must not do anything about exposure to measles. Contact your health care provider if you can not find your immunization record and / or if you are unsure of your immunity against measles.

If you are not immune to measles, watch for the symptoms of the disease. Symptoms of measles can include fever, runny nose, body aches, watery eyes and white spots in the mouth. Several days after the onset of these symptoms, a red and uneven rash usually starts on the face and spreads on the body. Symptoms can appear at any time within 21 days of exposure to the disease. Nearly one out of every three measles patients will develop otitis, diarrhea or pneumonia.

If you develop measles symptoms, stay home and contact your health care provider. People with measles symptoms should first call a health care provider to make arrangements to go to a health care facility. before go to a health care center to prevent others from being exposed to the disease.

People who are wondering what to do to protect themselves from measles should call a health care provider, the local health unit or an established hotline to answer the public's questions about measles. The hotline number is 865-549-5343; Calls to the hotline will be picked up from 07:00 to 15:30. Central Time / 8am – 4:30 pm Eastern Time every day until further notice.

For more information on measles, visit the TDH website here.

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