OKMULGEE CO., Okla. (KFOR) — The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) and the Okmulgee County Health Department have confirmed the case of measles in Okmulgee County.
Based on collected information about the measles case during the time the patient was contagious, public health officials want to alert anyone who visited Saint Francis Glenpool emergency room, May 11, from 8 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. about potential exposure to the measles virus.
Saint Francis Health System has confirmed to News 4 they are working with the State Department of Health to investigate the case:
"A suspected case of measles was identified at one of our ambulatory facilities. A notice was sent out to our medical staff apprising them of the potential case while awaiting final results from the Department of Health. As with all public health issues, the Department of Health with oversee the release of information regarding this case."
This is the first confirmed case of measles in Oklahoma since May 2018.
The Center for Disease Control says there have been no confirmed cases of the measles in Oklahoma this year, but there have been confirmed cases in 23 other states.
A person can spread the illness four days before and four days after developing the rash and therefore may unknowingly spread it. The virus can be airborne and spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
“Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected,” according to the CDC.
People are protected if they are immunized with two doses of a measles-containing vaccine after the first birthday, or if they were born during or before 1957.
Those who think they may have been at risk of exposure should review their immunization records and contact the Okmulgee County Health Department at 918-756-1883 during regular business hours, their local county health department or the OSDH epidemiologist-on-call at 800-234-5963.
For more information about measles, click here. To receive the MMR vaccine, contact a health care provider or a county health department.