By Jay Greene
The measles outbreak in Disneyland last December and the cases popping up closer to home have prompted Baltimore County officials to review local health procedures so they would know how to respond should the highly contagious respiratory disease come to Maryland.
In the public schools, for example, any student who became infected with the measles would be excluded from the building until it was determined that the child was no longer contagious, school officials said.
“If a student in Baltimore County Public Schools was diagnosed with measles, we would take direction from the health department on the response,” said Dolores Pierorazio, a spokesperson for school system. “The school community would be informed of any special actions they might need to take.”
State and local health department officials would meet to decide on the proper actions, she said.
Children who are 12 to 15 months old should receive two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination (MMR), said Marilyn Zunikoff, public health investigator for the Baltimore County Health Department. The next dose of the vaccine can be given anywhere between 4 to 6 years old, she said.
Most college students have only received one vaccination, she said.
“It’s always a good thing to check with parents or whoever has access to your medical records,” Zunikoff said. One dose is not as effective as two, she said
Some parents choose not to vaccinate their children because of religious or holistic practices, she said.
According to the CDC, only 1 to 2 percent of American children have not been vaccinated.
The measles is very contagious and spreads quickly, according to Lucia Donatelli, a medical doctor for the communicable diseases unit of the Baltimore County Health Department.
“It’s the most contagious disease out there,” she said. “If someone walks into the room with the measles and walks right out, the bacteria will still be there for up to hours. The next person could walk in and walk out without knowing they just contracted the disease.”
It all starts with two to three days of a dry cough, watery eyes and a runny nose, Donatelli said. Fever spikes will reach a temperature of at least 101 degrees, she said.
“It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet,” she said. “Raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots.”
If someone outside of a school setting thinks they have been infected with the measles, they should call a medical professional before making the trip to the doctor’s office, Zunikoff said.
Donatelli said the reason people are already concerned with this outbreak is because it all happened at the same time.
Maryland is the agency’s priority and the health department is on top of this, she said.
Zunikoff said Baltimore County health officials have implemented a program called C.E.A.S.E. in case any measles outbreaks are reported in the area.
The acronym stands for Consultation, Education, Administration, Socialization and Evaluation, Zunikoff said. She said the program would be run in conjunction with local health providers, hospitals, churches and schools.
Zunikoff said any person infected outside of a school should contact their health provider
The CDC reported 125 cases of the measles across 17 states since Jan.1, including the District of Columbia, Delaware and Pennsylvania. In 2014, the CDC reported 644 cases. No cases have been reported this year in Maryland, according to the CDC.