The Alabama Department of Public Health says it has not confirmed any cases of measles in the state so far in 2019, even as questions about the disease circulate.
ADPH receives numerous daily reports for notifiable diseases, including any illness of public health importance. As of May 1, the department had conducted 174 investigations, 32 of which remained open, with no confirmed measles cases in Alabama this year.
For a case to be confirmed, it must meet specific criteria. If measles is confirmed in Alabama, ADPH said it will issue a statewide news release and hold a news conference.
Measles is a highly contagious disease. Health officials urge anyone born after 1956 who has never been vaccinated to get the MMR vaccine from a physician, provider or pharmacy. About 95 percent or more of unvaccinated people exposed to a single case will contract the disease, and complications can range from ear infections and pneumonia to encephalitis. For every 1,000 people with measles, one to two will die.
Early signs include fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed days later by a rash that starts on the face and spreads across the body.