ALPENA — As parents and students arrive back in Alpena after spring break vacations, the District Health Department No. 4 suggests parents should be aware of current measles outbreaks, and monitor their school-age children for measles, especially if they are not vaccinated.

According to an announcement made by the State of Michigan on March 14, an adult in Oakland County was confirmed to have contracted measles most likely from traveling overseas. The press release states the significance of this case is a reminder that measles is highly contagious and that the only protection against measles is an MMR vaccine.

Dr. Joshua Meyerson, medical director of the health department, agreed.

Meyerson said he is most concerned about the region’s young and school-age children. He explained that because children spend a lot of time together in the same classrooms and buildings, if there are unvaccinated children present, measles can be contracted easily. This can lead to an outbreak.

The health department’s website explains that if one person has measles, up to 90% of people exposed will become infected, if they are not vaccinated as well.

“If your child is fully vaccinated it is very unlikely your child will get measles,” Meyerson said.

According to the health department, measles is a virus that lives in the nose and throat of an infected person. Transmission occurs through coughing and sneezing, and can live in their air for up to two hours.

Meyerson explained that the virus presents with a fever, followed by a cough, runny nose, and red eyes. After three to five days, patients will develop a rash.

Measles is a preventable illness with the MMR vaccine, but there are no current cures for the illness. Meyerson explained that physicians are only able to provide supportive care when dealing with measles cases.

The MMR vaccine is the only known prevention against measles, and is a combination vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella, according to Meyerson.

Regarding vaccination rates, Meyerson noted that only about 80% of children (ages 2-4) are vaccinated for measles. He also said that the 20% of children who are not vaccinated pose a large enough transmission risk that the health department is preparing to respond if a case or an outbreak occurs.

“I would be more concerned about measles than other contagious diseases because it has a higher risk of disability and mortality,” Meyerson said.

Meyerson also explained that vaccination rates have been declining in the area over the past five years and there has been more mistrust in vaccines related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the health department’s website, people born before 1957 are presumed to have had measles at one time in their lives, likely making them immune to the measles virus. Therefore, it is recommended that adults born after 1957 should receive one dose of the MMR vaccine. Children should get two doses, one dose at 12-15 months and a second dose between 4-6 years.

According to Meyerson, measles poses a threat because it is highly contagious and over 20% of children infected with measles have been hospitalized in the recent outbreaks. There is also a risk of children developing pneumonia, encephalitis, or neurological disabilities in response to a measles infection.

Meyerson said that the year 2000 marked an end to an endemic spread of measles in the United States. Now, 25 years later, physicians are seeing cases of a preventable illness popping up across the country and beyond our borders.

According to a Texas Department of State Health Services press release, as of March 18, there were 279 cases confirmed since January with 36 of those cases being hospitalized. There has been one reported death of an unvaccinated school-age child who had no known underlying conditions, according to the press release.

According to a Public Health Ontario press release, there have been 440 measles cases reported in Ontario, Canada as of March 19 for 2025. Only five of these cases had a history of travel outside of Canada.