Last week the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of having the Pima County Health Department come up with a plan to prevent measles.
The health department is looking at which schools have 95% of their kindergartners vaccinated. If they don’t have that then they they’ll ask the schools if they want to have a mobile vaccination clinic there.
“95% vaccination gives us what we call herd immunity,” Dr. Theresa Cullen said.
Cullen is the health department’s health director. She said if a child has measles, but 95% of the people at a school have been immunized with the measles vaccine, then that child with measles is much less likely to transmit it.
“Because they’re already immunized so theoretically they won’t get measles if they get exposed,” she said.
Most people get their two shots for measles, mumps, and rubella between 12 and 15 months and then again at five to six years old.
“If you’ve gotten two shots or your children have gotten two shots, they are considered immune, so they don’t need to get another shot,” Cullen said.
If someone only had one shot or think they got the measles but didn’t, Dr. Cullen said they should get an updated shot. She said people can also get a blood test to see if they’re immune.
As of March 20, the CDC said there are 378 confirmed measles cases in the U.S.
“Probably because of COVID, there’s been more vaccine hesitation. So what we’re seeing is more parents choose to file an exemption,” Cullen said.
Early on she said symptoms can include a runny nose, pink eye, and a cough. Later on she said people can get a rash a few days later.
“The rash itself comes together and it usually starts at your forehead and then works your way down the body,” she said.
She said measles are so contagious that everybody that comes in the room where someone has had it for the next two hours has theoretically been exposed.
The last time someone had measles in Pima County was in 2019 when an unvaccinated traveler who went out of the country came back.
She said they already have a plan in case there were to be an outbreak.
“We simulate that we’ve gotten a call that there’s been a case or potentially two or three cases of measles,” she said about practicing protocols.
If someone were potentially exposed, Cullen said the health department would contact them and check their immunization status.
“When you vaccinate yourself, you’re not only protecting yourself, you’re protecting your family, and protecting your community. That’s why we’re doing such an emphasis right now on ensuring that the kindergartners get adequately protected," she said.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
