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A possible outbreak of measles in Ohio has affected 13 people, the department of health says. Some people may have been exposed to the disease during travel to the Philippines.

(File photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio—The Ohio Department of Health is investigating more than a dozen suspected cases of measles in the Mt. Vernon area near Columbus, likely caused by unvaccinated travelers returning from the Philippines.

The people who have fallen ill with the suspected cases of measles range in age from two years old to 48 years old, according to a department spokeswoman. None of the cases has yet been confirmed, but more information will likely be available tomorrow.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus of the same name. The disease is also called rubeola. Symptoms usually appear in seven to 18 days after exposure, and include fever, runny nose, cough and a rash all over the body. The disease can be transmitted from four days prior to the onset of the rash to four days after onset. Anyone who has not been immunized with the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine has a high likelihood of falling ill, according to the department.

"Immunization is the most effective way to protect yourself and your family from vaccine-preventable diseases," said ODH Interim Director Lance Himes in a news release. "When fully vaccinated, the Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is 99 percent effective in preventing the measles."

Two doses of the vaccine are usually delivered first at one year old and again at 4 to 6 years old, and confer about 80 to 95 percent protection against the diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses in the U.S. have been connected to a persistent "vaccine hesitancy" among parents, followed by exposure to the illnesses during travel. A mumps outbreak at Ohio State University spread from students to community members in March and has since infected 271 people in central Ohio.



The CDC

that travelers who are not immune to measles receive two doses of the MMR vaccine for their own protection and to prevent importation of the measles virus into the United States.

The Knox County Health Department and the Holmes County General Health District will offer a vaccination clinic for the public on Friday, April 25 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Holmesville Church of Christ, 204 W. Main Street, Holmesville, Ohio. This clinic is open to the public.

For more information on measles, visit the CDC

, or the Ohio Department of Health

.