The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) has confirmed the state’s first measles case in 15 years, involving an unvaccinated child from Natrona County, Oil City News reports.
The case marks the first reported measles infection in Wyoming since 2010.
Health officials say the child was contagious while present in the Banner Wyoming Medical Center Emergency Department waiting room on two separate occasions:
June 24 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
June 25 between 12:55 p.m. and 2:55 p.m.
Anyone who was in the emergency department during those times may have been exposed. The WDH is working with the hospital to notify potentially affected individuals.
“We are asking individuals who were potentially exposed to self-monitor for measles symptoms for 21 days past the exposure date and consider avoiding crowded public places or high-risk settings such as daycare centers,” said Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and epidemiologist with the WDH.
The source of the child’s exposure remains unknown, according to officials.
Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that can lead to serious health complications, particularly in young children and immunocompromised individuals. Symptoms usually develop 7 to 21 days after exposure and begin with fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes, followed by a distinctive rash that typically starts on the face and spreads downward.
People who have received the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine, or who were born before 1957, are generally considered immune.
