A nurse readies an MMR vaccine at Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)
By: Joshua Haiar
PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – As a national outbreak of measles continues, South Dakota has detected its first case of the year.
The state Department of Health said Monday in a news release that the infected person is a Meade County adult who “visited several public locations.”
The department said people may have been exposed to measles in the Rapid City Medical Center Urgent Care waiting room from 7:15 a.m. to 10 a.m. Mountain time on May 28 and the Monument Health Sturgis Urgent Care waiting room from 9:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mountain time on May 29.
People who were in those settings should self-monitor for measles symptoms for 21 days, the department said.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that spreads through the air from an infected person. People who lack immunity from vaccination or past infection are at high risk of measles infection if they have contact with an infected person.
Measles symptoms appear in two stages. In the first stage, the individual may have a runny nose, cough and a slight fever. The eyes may become reddened and sensitive to light while the fever consistently rises each day. The second stage begins on the third to seventh day of symptoms and consists of a temperature of 103-105 degrees Fahrenheit, and a red blotchy rash lasting for four to seven days. The rash usually begins on the face and then spreads down to the trunk and out to the arms and legs.
The department said the measles vaccine “offers the best protection against infection and avoids the risks that come with infection.” The department said the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine “is highly effective at preventing measles infection, and two MMR doses usually produce lifelong immunity.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a measles vaccination rate of 95% is needed to prevent outbreaks, given the highly contagious nature of the virus.
Vaccination rates have been falling in South Dakota, where incoming kindergarteners are required to be up to date on the MMR vaccine unless they have a medical or religious exemption. Ten years ago, six South Dakota counties had less than 95% of kindergarteners vaccinated for measles, with the lowest being 80%. Now, more than 40 counties in the state are below 95%, with 12 below 80% and five below 70%.
The South Dakota measles case comes amid the most severe U.S. measles outbreak in decades. According to the CDC, there had been more than 1,000 measles cases detected this year across 33 states prior to the detection in South Dakota.
Last year, South Dakota reported its first measles case in nine years.
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