Measles in Mendocino County Spark Concern in Humboldt

 
Three Mendocino county residents have come down with measles… the county’s first reports of the disease in seven years… and now there is concern of measles spreading to Humboldt County… Cameron Cramer has more…
 
“We have not had any cases of measles reported in Humboldt County in more than a decade.”
Said Eric Gordon, a Humboldt County nurse.
Humboldt county, and the United States in general, has done a great job of preventing measles, but that’s not the case throughout the world.
“France, for example has had about 4,000 cases reported this year...what does that mean for us? Well there was a traveler who came from Europe who went through Mendocino County and was not immunized, he did come down with measles and ended up transmitting it to residents.” Said Gordon
Three Mendocino county residents were stricken with the disease, which makes thirteen reports of measles in California this year…and the disease does have the potential to cause serious harm.
“Some people get ear infections, pneumonia, some get encephalitis, which is swelling of the brain, which can be serious enough to cause death.” Said Gordon
Signs of measles can be as simple as flue like symptoms, but a unique rash is one of the biggest identifiers
“It develops on the forehead and over the course of five days spreads to the chest, the legs and arms and then hands and feet.” Said Gordon
A main cause for concern is school children in close quarters, 81% of Humboldt county kindergartners are immunized against measles, but the disease is easily transmitted to those who aren’t…
“An infected person coughs or sneezes and that gets expelled into the air, then anyone not immunized can be at great risk of being infected.” Said Gordon
And that’s what’s making the disease that was mostly considered an afterthought to be pushed back into the limelight…