Measles outbreak puts Detroit region on high alert

State and county health officials said the best way to protect themselves from measles was to be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), and that they were stepping up their efforts to to persuade people to get vaccinated.

The Oakland County Health Division has issued press releases and fact sheets, which have been translated into Spanish, Arabic and Hebrew, and organized special measles immunization clinics in its offices. Southfield and Young Israel of Oak Park.

As of April 1, more than 2,000 people had been vaccinated and efforts are continuing, said Leigh-Anne Stafford, Health Manager of the Oakland County Health Division.

"We recommend everyone – no matter how old – to check their immunization status," Stafford said. "Unvaccinated people must be vaccinated."

There are exceptions – including pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems – and people should consult the vaccine provider before getting vaccinated.

In addition, you are considered protected if you have written documentation of at least one dose of a measles-containing vaccine for preschool and low-risk adults, or two doses for school-age children and high-risk adults, including students. students, health staff and international travelers.

Other people who do not need to be vaccinated are those who present laboratory evidence of immunity, a laboratory confirmation of measles or a date of birth prior to 1957.

Diamond Wilford of Oak Park took his one-year-old daughter, Tiffany, to a Southfield County dispensary for a vaccination last week.

"This outbreak is scary – you hear about a possible exposure in this school or this store," Wilford said. "She is not in daycare yet and I do not think she was exposed, but I want to protect her.

"She cried (when she got the shot), but I think it's more difficult for the parent than for the child," said Wilford, who has had conversations with neighbors anti-vaccination.

"I do not tell them how to take care of their child and I do not want them to tell me," she said. "But the general advice is that a vaccinated child is not only protected but also from others."

Measles is transmitted by direct contact person to person and by air. Symptoms include high fever (may reach 104 ° C, coughing, runny nose, red and watery eyes, tiny white spots on the inner cheeks, gums, and roof of the mouth two to three days after onset of symptoms, and redness, increased, stained rash that usually starts on the face and spreads to the trunk, arms, and legs in three to five days.

Pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain) are serious and life-threatening complications, according to the Federal Center for Disease Control.

"The MMR vaccine is very safe and effective," Stafford said. "Most people who receive MMR vaccine have no serious reaction. The MMR vaccine is much safer than measles. "

According to the CDC, one dose of measles vaccine is about 93% effective at preventing measles when exposed to the virus and two doses are effective at about 97%.

Avraham "Avi" Cohen may testify that the vaccine is not 100% effective.

Cohen, 23, of Oak Park, received the MMR vaccine at the age of 2 years and 5 years, said his wife, Debbie Cohen. "He has written evidence," she says. "But he still has measles."

Debbie Cohen said her husband, who was too ill to be interviewed, noticed his first symptoms the week of March 17 and thought he had caught something from his 2-year-old son. The Cohen also have a boy of 2 months.

"Our eldest son had been exposed to someone with measles the week before. So I took him to the doctor, who came to the car, stamped it and the following Tuesday, the results were negative, "said Debbie Cohen.

She said that their son had an ear infection and was having a fever.

"My husband, meanwhile, had a cough, a runny nose and a little fever, so we thought it was probably flu," she said. "So he started taking Motrin and Dayquil regularly, nothing special."

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Nurse Jayne DeBoer-Rowse, left, chats with Royalty, a one-year-old girl, and her mother, Diamond Wilford, both of Oak Park, before the toddler receives a series. vaccinations, including one for MMR (measles, mumps and rubella). ) at the Oakland Health Center, Oakland County Health Division, Southfield. (Photo: Todd McInturf, The Detroit News)

The following Friday, she said that she had taken their son to the doctor to check his ears.

"When I left the doctor's office, my husband called to tell him that he had a rash all over his body," she said. "So I informed my son's doctor and he suggested I call the Oakland County Health Department and follow his instructions."

According to her, a doctor and a nurse from the health division went to their homes and gave booster shots to her parents and eldest son. They then stamped the whole family to determine if they had measles.

A few days later, her husband's test results were positive for measles. At that time, he had severe headaches and a fever that exceeded 105 degrees.

Cohen said she called one of the hospitals because her husband "felt like he was burned alive. They asked me what painkillers I gave him and I told them, but they deterred me from coming to the hospital.

"We should have come in," she says. "They were afraid to be exposed, of course."

She said that her husband's temperature had eventually dropped and that he had started to feel better.

Health officials identified at least 110 potential exposure sites for measles between March 14 and April 1 in Oak Park, Southfield, Berkley, Royal Oak, West Bloomfield, Pontiac, Bloomfield Hills, Farmington Hills, Novi and Wixom.

Wagner said the Metropolitan Detroiters should be "on high alert".

"Measles is highly contagious and can spread rapidly in areas of low immunization coverage," said Professor UM. "Measles causes unnecessary suffering in children and its control is extremely expensive. The state will likely spend between $ 5,000 and $ 10,000 per case to control the outbreak. "

While Macomb County has not registered any cases of measles, the County Health Department sent a notice last week informing it that one of the initially confirmed infected persons had visited a Bank. of America on the road to Romeo Plank in Macomb County between noon and 2 pm March 19th. People at the bank that day were informed that they may have been exposed to the virus.

"Up to now, we have fortunately not had a confirmed case (of measles) here," said Dr. Kevin Lokar, medical director of the Macomb County Health Department. "A number of people have been vaccinated since last month, but they were motivated by the media attention to the epidemic."

Bill Ridella, county health officer, said the workers had vaccinated 227 people since March.

"It's 52% higher than the same period a year ago," Ridella said. "It's a serious illness and needs to be treated seriously. Public education programs seem to work. "