Outbreak grows with new cases in Grant County
The measles outbreak in southwestern Wisconsin has expanded to a third county, with state health officials confirming two new cases in Grant County on Tuesday. The cases are related to earlier confirmed infections in Lafayette and Iowa Counties, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. The total outbreak now stands at 36 confirmed and three probable cases.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has not identified any public exposure locations tied to the new cases. Public health officials are interviewing people in each affected county to determine whether anyone else may have been exposed.
Transmission and symptoms
Measles is highly contagious and spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, with the virus able to remain airborne for up to two hours. Symptoms, as described by the Department of Health Services, include a runny nose, high fever (which may exceed 104°F), tiredness, cough, red watery eyes or conjunctivitis, and a red rash with raised bumps that begins at the hairline and spreads to the arms and legs three to five days after symptoms start. Symptoms typically appear 10 to 21 days after infection.
Health officials advise anyone experiencing symptoms to stay home and call their doctor rather than risk exposing others.
Vaccination emphasized
State health officials are stressing vaccination as the primary defense. During a media briefing last week, Dr. Ryan Westergaard with the Department of Health Services called the measles vaccine "the number one most effective, most important tool to prevent the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases." Two doses of the vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles, according to DHS.
The push for vaccination comes as Wisconsin reports more than 20,000 unvaccinated residents. The state’s 41 reported measles cases are largely concentrated in the southwestern region, with most cases in Iowa and Lafayette Counties. Of those affected, 51.2% were between the ages of 5 and 17, and 39% were 18 or older.
The national picture adds urgency: measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more cases in the past 18 months than in the previous 25 years combined, marking a second consecutive record year.
Local preparedness
While the outbreak is centered far to the southwest, Eau Claire County health officials are preparing. Health Department Director Lieske Giese said the department is talking with health care providers, daycares, and schools to raise awareness and discuss proper testing protocols. Giese emphasized the importance of preventing further spread, noting that the county's communicable disease team is working continuously to maintain strong relationships and share information with the public and providers.
State officials have directed residents to the DHS website for guidance on how to protect themselves and their families.