Park City School District nurses issue warning about measles
(KUTV) -- Nurses employed by the Park City School District are warning parents to keep their children protected from measles.
There are no cases of measles in the community, but “because Park City has so many who travel on a regular basis, we want to offer some reminders about the virus,” Suzanne Tanner, district nurse coordinator, said in a press release.
Several cases of the measles have been reported in the Pacific Northwest and are increasing worldwide. Unvaccinated people in various parts of the world can bring the disease to the United States and infect other people.
The nurses are reminding Park City resident that if they travel to areas with an outbreak to please be observant of signs and symptoms of the disease, a press release stated. Parents should also be careful at home, because many people from around the country visit Park City.
According to the Center for Disease Control “measles spread when a person infected with the measles virus breathes, coughs, or sneezes. It is very contagious. You can catch measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been, up to two hours after that person is gone. And you can catch measles from an infected person even before they have a measles rash.”
The district nurses say the symptoms begin with a fever, runny nose, red, watery eyes and a cough. A rash will spread over the body three to five days after symptoms begin. Contagious droplets can stay in the air for up to two hours after an infected person coughs or sneezes. According to the press release, it is best to isolate the ill person, have them wear a mask and notify a health care provider of school nurse immediately.
The measles vaccine is also 97 percent effect in protecting against the disease, a press release stated. However, children do not receive the vaccine until the age of one.
For more information, please contact Summit County Health Department at 435-333-1500, or visit the CDC’s website.
