Missouri measles case reported

ST. LOUIS -- A Missouri resident contracted the measles after attending a meeting in Maryland, health officials from both states said Friday.

Health authorities, citing privacy laws, declined to release the person's name or condition.

Measles, once a common childhood illness, has been largely wiped out in the U.S. thanks to vaccinations. Missouri has reported just four cases over the past four years, state health department spokesman Kit Wagar said.

But for those who do get it, especially adults, the viral illness can be serious, even fatal.

Symptoms include a telltale red rash, along with high fever, watery eyes, a runny nose and a cough.

Wagar said the department is hopeful this is the only case resulting from the Maryland exposure.

"We've alerted public health agencies to be on the lookout for this," he said. "Also, we're tracking down every Missouri resident who was at that meeting to look for it."

The Missourian came down with the disease in Chevy Chase, Md., earlier this month, said David Paulson, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Paulson said the Missourian is part of an organization that was meeting in the same building as a local church in Chevy Chase. A church member had the measles but didn't know it at the time. The disease is highly contagious, and the Missourian contracted it simply by being in the same building.

"You cough into a room and within minutes the air is highly infectious, and it remains infectious for hours after the individual leaves," Paulson said.

Six other recent cases of measles have been confirmed in Washington, D.C., and its Virginia and Maryland suburbs, all apparently after an infected man and his wife, who may also be infected, visited several public places earlier this month. But Paulson said officials don't believe the Chevy Chase measles case is connected to the others.

Health officials, citing confidentiality laws, declined to name the organization that was meeting in Chevy Chase. Wagar said 620 adults and young people who are part of the organization were potentially exposed to measles at the meeting. However, because most people are vaccinated, officials are hopeful no one else will come down with the illness. It wasn't clear how many of those people are from Missouri.

Missouri health officials caution anyone who believes they have measles symptoms to call a health care facility before going there because the sick person will need to be kept away from others.

Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said 140 cases of measles were confirmed last year in the U.S. Illinois had the most with 33; Missouri had one.

So far this year, there have been 22 confirmed cases.

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On the Net:

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services: www.dhss.mo.gov