The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment has confirmed three cases of measles in a Johnson County child care facility.

All identified cases are in children less than one year of age, who are too young to be vaccinated for the disease.

Those at risk for the disease have been contacted and the investigation is ongoing.

In order to prevent the spread of measles, the affected children and others they have come in contact with have been excluded from the child care facility for 21 days following the last exposure to the disease.

Any child that has been exposed to measles should not attend any childcare facility or school. This protects the community from further spread.

Measles is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. Since the creation of the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine, measles cases are rare in the United States; however, it still sickens millions and kills 146,000 people worldwide each year.

“Vaccination is the best way to prevent measles in children and adults. Make sure children have the MMR vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old, and again before they enter kindergarten,” said JCDHE Director Lougene Marsh.

Measles is highly contagious and is spread through the air by breathing, coughing, or sneezing. The signs and symptoms of measles typically begin one to two weeks after someone is exposed to an infected person.

Symptoms include:

Fever

Blotchy rash on the skin, which spreads from the head to the trunk then to the lower extremities (Measles can be spread to others from four days before to four days after the rash appears.)

Cough

Runny nose

Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis)

Feeling run down, achy

Tiny white spots with bluish-white centers found inside the mouth (Koplik’s spots)

“If your child has a fever, keep them home except to see a healthcare provider. If you need to visit your healthcare provider, call ahead so appropriate measures can be taken to protect other patients and staff,” said Marsh.

People at high risk for severe illness and complications from measles include infants and children less than 5 years of age, adults older than 20 years, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems.

For more information about measles, click here.