The state Department of Health is investigating a case of confirmed measles in an unvaccinated Oahu resident returning from international travel.
The patient’s age was not released, but the DOH did confirm the patient was recovering in isolation.
The DOH also identified those with known exposure to the person with measles and is working to prevent any potential spread.
The DOH asked health care providers in Hawaii to be on the alert for possible cases of measles.
“We are working to identify the individuals and are creating a contact list just to make sure that if they were exposed, they’ve been informed, they’ve been educated about the disease, and they understand what the potential symptoms are,” said Ron Balajadia, DOH Immunization Branch chief, during a press briefing on Monday.
Measles is spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and symptoms can include a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by a rash of tiny, red spots. Measles starts at the head and spreads to the rest of the body.
With the Merrie Monarch Festival underway, recommended safety measures include social distancing, wearing a mask and washing your hands, similar to preventing COVID-19.
“We haven’t seen as many cases in recent times because of the fact we were utilizing COVID mitigation efforts,” Balajadia said.
Hawaii’s last major measles outbreak occurred back in 2014, when 15 cases were reported on Oahu, Maui and Kauai.
In 2018, there were no cases reported in the state, in 2019 there were four cases reported, in 2020 there were two cases reported and in both 2021 and 2022, zero cases were reported.
There has just been one case reported this year.
A vaccine is available and is commonly givenwhen a child turns one as a combination vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella, known as MMR.
MMR vaccine coverage rates have dropped among children globally and nationally since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic caused setbacks for childhood immunization programs worldwide,” said State Epidemiologist Sarah Kemble in a press release. “As a result, we are seeing increases in outbreaks globally, and sometimes outbreaks in the United States as well. We are very fortunate to have a safe and highly effective vaccine against measles.”
Those at the highest risk of measles are children under 5 and infants under 1, who are too young to be vaccinated.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, and one out of 1,000 develops encephalitis or swelling of the brain. Up to three out of 1,000 children who become infected with measles will die from respiratory and neurologic complications.
“All eligible keiki should be vaccinated against measles,” said Dr. Kenneth Fink, state director of health. “Prevention is easy. Don’t miss an opportunity to protect your child against this serious disease.”