Confirmed cases of measles in the United States continue to rise | New

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – The number of measles cases in the country continues to grow.

On Thursday, Alabama became the 23^rd indicate to report a case of highly contagious virus.

The disease was declared "eradicated" in the United States in 2000, but is now back.

Tennessee now has five confirmed cases, all located in eastern Tennessee.

Many who have children too young for measles vaccination ask themselves, "What should I do?

The five cases in East Tennessee were expected because they were all related to the first case of measles.

Doctors have stated that your child should be at least 6 to 12 months old before the first vaccination.

If you do not go somewhere with a major epidemic, like in New York or Washington, you should not be too worried.

"We had no new exposure in the community," said Dr. Michelle Fiscus, Medical Director of the State Immunization Program. "We have never quarantined new people under surveillance, except for people related to the first case. This is really good news.

Doctors encourage everyone to get vaccinated against the MMR to stay ahead of the measles epidemic.

"Measles is one of the most contagious organisms we know," Fiscus said.

So contagious that it can last up to two hours even after the infected person has left the room.

If your child is under the recommended window for 6 to 12 month vaccines, doctors have advised you to exercise caution, but do not panic.

"Use your common sense," says Fiscus. "Do not go to places where you know people will be sick, like hospitals."

If you are an adult and you do not know if you have been vaccinated, you can check it in different ways.

"Find your shooting recordings since your childhood. Depending on the condition in which they grew up, they may contact their local health department or a Tennessee health department if they have been vaccinated in Tennessee, "Fiscus said.

You can also draw blood to see if you have in your system these antibodies that fight measles.

The symptoms are a runny nose, a cough, fever, red eyes, and then after 3 to 4 days, a rash of red spots on the face. Then, the rash spreads along the body to your arms and legs.

The doctors said that if you suspect measles, the first thing to do is to stay at home and call you because of its contagious nature.

Copyright.

Copyright 2019 WSMV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.