Department of Health confirms first case of measles in state since May 2018 | Local



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The Oklahoma Department of Health confirmed Wednesday the first case of measles in the state since May 2018 in an outpatient facility in the Saint Francis Health System.

The authorities urge all those who visited St. Francis Glenpool urgently from 11 am to 11:15 am on May 11 to become aware of their potential exposure to the measles virus.

The virus was identified in a person from Okmulgee County who returned to Oklahoma after traveling to "various national and international destinations," according to a press release from the OSDH.

Measles outbreaks often occur in Europe, Israel, Ukraine and the Philippines, the statement said.

In a press release issued Wednesday, Saint Francis confirmed that an investigation was underway.

"A suspected case of measles has been identified in one of our outpatient facilities," said Lauren Landwerlin, spokesman for Saint Francis. "A notice has been sent to our medical staff to inform them of the potential case pending the final results of the Ministry of Health."

As of January 1, at least 839 cases of measles have been reported in the United States in 23 other states. According to the release, this is the largest number of cases reported in the United States since 1994.

This is the fourth case in Oklahoma in two years and the fifth since 2015. Three cases were confirmed in Oklahoma in 2018, and one case in 2015 in Stillwater was the first since 1997.

Measles is suspect in the Ministry of Health and the state considers that a case is an epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider an outbreak of three or more cases.

The track record of the measles outbreak recorded by the Centers for Disease Control indicates nearly 840 confirmed cases in 23 states, but no cases have been confirmed in Oklahoma in 2019. The total number of The case in 2019 has already exceeded the number of cases in 2018. Although Oklahoma recorded 88 cases in 1990, with the exception of 1992 and 2018, the state saw no more from a case of measles since, according to data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

Symptoms may appear from one to three weeks after exposure. A mild to moderate fever, a runny nose, red eyes and a cough are the first indicators. A few days after the onset, a rash will appear and spread to the rest of the body, associated with a fever of up to 105 degrees.

According to the statement, the disease can cause serious problems for pregnant women and those whose immune system is weakened.

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