Case of measles confirmed at Birmingham middle school

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. (FOX 2) - A student at a middle school in Birmingham has one of the confirmed cases of the measles in metro Detroit right now. 

Officials at Derby Middle School sent out a letter over the weekend to inform parents of the illness. 

School officials reminded parents that, by Michigan law, all students are required to be immunized with two doses of Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine or have history of measles disease, and asked for parents to provide proof of vaccine or measles history to the school for their child's health record if they haven't already done so. 

The school says they are following guidelines from the Oakland County Health Department, which includes the exclusion of students that are not vaccinated or under vaccinated. In the case of measles, the exclusion period is 21 days from the date the exposure occurred.

As of Friday, April 5, 39 cases have been confirmed in metro Detroit. Thirty eight of those cases are in Oakland County and one is in Wayne County. 

Officials said those with the illness range in age from 8 months to 63 years old. 

This is the highest number of measles in the state since 1991 when 65 cases were reported. So far this year, there have been 387 cases of measles confirmed in 15 states. Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease that is spread by direct person-to-person contact, and through the air.

The virus can live for up to two hours in the air where the infected person was present. Symptoms of measles usually begin 7-14 days after exposure, but can appear up to 21 days after exposure and may include:

High fever (may spike to over 104˚F).
Cough.
Runny nose.
Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis).
Tiny white spots on the inner cheeks, gums, and roof of the mouth (Koplik Spots) 2-3 days after symptoms begin.
A rash that is red, raised, blotchy; usually starts on face, spreads to trunk, arms, and legs 3-5 days after symptoms begin.

If symptoms develop, residents are urged to call their doctor or emergency room before arriving so they can take precautions to prevent exposure to other individuals.

For more information about measles, visit CDC.gov/measles. For more information about Michigan's current measles outbreak, visit Michigan.gov/MeaslesOutbreak.