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TO SPREAD MEASLES. STILL... IT DOES COME WITH A WARNING FROM HEALTH LEADERS. A SIGH OF RELIEF IN WESTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE TONIGHT AS THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SAYS THERE'S NO LONGER A SUSPECTED CASE OF MEASLES. <(CLIP 1534, 1:22-1:27) THIS IS GOOD NEWS FOR THE COMMUNITY. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A RISK FROM THIS CHILD.> LAST WEEK... THE STATE ALERTED PEOPLE IN KEENE AFTER A CHILD SHOWED SYMPTOMS OF THE VIRUS. <(CLIP 1534, :18-:25) WE TOOK EARLY AND I THINK NECESSARY STEPS TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC'S HEALTH AGAINST FURTHER TRANSMISSION OF MEASLES IN THE COMMUNITY.> DHHS SAYS FURTHER LAB TESTS NOW SHOW THE CHILD DOES NOT HAVE MEASLES. INSTEAD... HE OR SHE WAS HAVING A BAD REACTION TO THE VACCINE... WHICH WAS GIVEN TO THE CHILD FIVE DAYS EARLIER. <(CLIP 1534, 3:00-3:02) THIS IS A VERY UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE.> DR. BENJAMIN CHAN SAYS ONLY FIVE PERCENT OF PEOPLE WHO GET THE VACCINE EXPERIENCE A FEVER AND RASH. <(CLIP 1534, 2:47-2:55) MORE SEVERE OR EXTENSIVE REACTIONS THAT MAY MIMIC REAL MEASLES DISEASE LIKE WHAT WE SAW IN THIS CHILD ARE VERY RARE.> SO RARE THAT OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS... CHAN SAYS 50-THOUSAND DOSES OF THE VACCINE HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO NEW HAMPSHIRE CHILDREN... AND THIS WAS THE MOST SEVERE REACTION. <(CLIP 1534, 5:14-5:31) I THINK THE SITUATION HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILY MEMBERS BECOMING VACCINATED AGAINST MEASLES GIVEN THE UNPRECEDENTED INCREASE NATIONALLY THAT WE'RE SEEING IN MEASLES. WE WANT TO STILL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GET THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS VACCINATED TO PROTECT THEMSELVES, FAMILY MEMBERS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS.> SO FAR THIS YEAR... THERE HAVE BEEN ALMOST 900 CASES OF MEASLES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THAT'S

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A New Hampshire child suspected of having measles does not have the disease, health officials said Thursday.The Department of Health and Human Services issued a warning last week for people in the Keene area after the child developed symptoms that appeared to be measles. But officials said further testing showed that the child was likely showing symptoms of a vaccine reaction.>> Download the FREE WMUR app"Measles is very contagious, so this new laboratory information indicating that the child's symptoms are not from contagious measles is good news," said Dr. Benjamin Chan, state epidemiologist. "This situation, however, serves as an important reminder that with measles circulating at unprecedented levels nationally, we all need to make sure we and our family members are protected and vaccinated against measles.">> DHHS information: Measles (.pdf)Health officials said that with the new diagnosis, there is no contagious measles known to be circulating in the community.Officials said specialized laboratory testing was done after it was learned that the child had been vaccinated days before being diagnosed with measles. The tests determined that the child was experiencing symptoms of a vaccine reaction, rather than measles.Officials said about 5 percent of people who receive the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine will develop a fever and rash reaction as the body builds up antibodies to measles. More serious reactions that resemble a real measles virus infection, as was seen in the child, are very rare, officials said.Over the last five years, Chan said 50,000 doses of the MMR vaccine were administered to New Hampshire children, and the child in Keene had the most severe reaction to it."More severe or extensive reactions that may mimic real measles disease, like what we saw in this child, are very rare," said Chan.The MMR vaccine is made using a weakened virus. There have been no confirmed cases in the scientific literature of human-to-human transmission of the vaccine strain of the measles virus.Measles is caused by a virus that is passed from person to person through the air when someone with the disease sneezes, coughs or talks. The virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area."Remember that measles is one of the most infectious agents that we deal with," Chan said. "It's spread through the air. Nine out of 10 people that are susceptible, meaning not immune to measles, and are in the same room as someone with measles will come down with infection."It is very easy for individuals who have not received the measles vaccine to contract it from someone else. The incubation period for measles from the time of exposure is seven to 21 days. Symptoms of measles infection usually begin with high fever, cough, runny nose and conjunctivitis several days prior to developing a body rash.