Due to the increased number of measles cases in the United States, Texas Children’s Hospital has put appropriate plans in place to care for a patient with this highly contagious disease. The hospital also is making sure all employees are protected against this infection.
Employee Health and Wellness Director Jill Fragoso said nearly 98 percent of Texas Children’s employees have received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine or are immune by titer. She added that all employees can get a free MMR vaccine at the Employee Health Clinic.
“At Texas Children’s, we want to do everything possible to make sure our staff remains healthy and are immune to measles, and vaccination is the best way to do that,” Fragoso said. “Though much focus has been on measles cases in children, adults can pose an even greater risk of passing along the infection because of travel and the amount of people with whom we come in contact.”
Fragoso added that in addition to keeping ourselves safe, “we have a public health commitment to protect our coworkers, our families, our patients and our communities.”
If you aren’t sure whether you need the measles vaccine, medical personnel at the Employee Health Clinic can check your records or do a blood test to see if you carry antibodies to the infection. Please call Ext. 4-2150 to make an appointment today.
As for patient care, Dr. Judith Campbell, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control, said Texas Children’s Hospital is treating patients with suspected or confirmed measles like we would any other airborne transmitted infectious disease.
“Workflows are in place to identify and isolate suspected cases of the measles,” Campbell said. “There also are several mechanisms and venues in place to educate frontline employees about measles, an infection that was considered eradicated from the United States in 2000.”
In 2014, however, the United States saw a record-breaking number of confirmed cases of the infection, 644 from 27 states, including Texas where there has been one reported case since January, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In addition, measles is still common in many parts of the world, including some countries in Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Africa. Worldwide, an estimated 20 million people get measles and 146,000 people, mostly children, die from the disease each year.
“The CDC is urging health care professionals to consider measles when evaluating patients with febrile rash and to ask about a patient’s vaccine status, recent travel history, and contact with individuals who have febrile rash illness,” an agency flier about the infection says. “The government agency also is urging people to get vaccinated against the potentially deadly disease.”
Facts about the measles according to the CDC
What are the measles: Measles, also known as morbilli, rubeola, or red measles, is a highly contagious infection caused by the measles virus.
Can the measles be serious: Yes. About one in four people in the United States who get measles will be hospitalized; one out of every 1,000 people with measles will develop brain swelling, which could lead to brain damage; and one or two out of 1,000 people with measles will die, even with the best care.
How does the virus spread: Measles is an airborne disease that spreads easily through the coughs and sneezes of those infected. It may also be spread through contact with saliva or nasal secretions. Nine out of ten people who are not immune who share living space with an infected person will catch it. People are infectious to others from four days before to four days after the start of the rash. People usually only get the disease at most once.
What are its symptoms: The most common symptoms of measles are fever, runny nose, red eyes and rash. The rash is classically described as a generalized red maculopapular rash that begins several days after the fever starts. It starts on the head or back of the ears and, after a few hours, spreads to the head and neck before spreading to cover most of the body, often causing itching.
How is it prevented: The best protection against measles is measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. MMR vaccine provides long-lasting protection against all strains of measles.
Vaccine Recommendations: The CDC recommends all children get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age. Children can receive the second dose earlier as long as it is at least 28 days after the first dose.
Health care personnel should have documented evidence of immunity against measles. Health care personnel without evidence of immunity should get two doses of MMR vaccine, separated by at least 28 days. Adults who are not health care personnel and who do not have evidence of immunity against measles should get at least one dose of MMR vaccine.