A woman in her 20s has tested positive for measles after being treated at Brown University Health Urgent Care in Middletown, marking the second confirmed case of the highly contagious illness in Rhode Island this year, state health officials announced Saturday.
The Rhode Island Department of Health said the patient had recently traveled from outside the country to visit family in Rhode Island. She was seen at the Middletown urgent care center Friday and tested positive at the Rhode Island State Health Laboratories. She did not require hospitalization, the department said.
The case is not connected to a measles case the department announced April 18, officials said.
Brown University Health and the health department are coordinating outreach to people who may have had contact with the patient at the urgent care center. The patient did not report visiting any other locations after arriving in Rhode Island, the department said.
“The chance of significant spread of measles in Rhode Island is very low because we have such a high MMR vaccination rate,” Dr. Jerry Larkin, the state’s director of health, said in a statement. “But that degree of community protection depends on everyone who is eligible getting vaccinated.”
About 97% of Rhode Island kindergarteners have completed the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine series, according to the department. A first dose is typically given between 12 and 15 months of age, with a second between 4 and 6 years old.
Larkin said any parent or guardian of a child older than 1 who has not been vaccinated should consult a health care professional. Families with insurance issues or trouble accessing care can receive the vaccine at no cost through the department, he said.
Health officials also urged anyone traveling internationally to be fully vaccinated before going abroad. Infants 6 to 11 months old should receive one dose of MMR before international travel and then two more doses after their first birthday on the standard schedule.
Measles is a respiratory virus spread through coughs, sneezes and close personal contact. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the virus can remain infectious in the air of a room for up to two hours after an infected person has left.
Symptoms typically appear seven to 21 days after exposure and can include high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, tiny white spots inside the mouth and a rash of large, flat blotches. Infected people can spread the virus from four days before through four days after the rash appears.
The department asked anyone who may have been exposed and begins developing symptoms to call a health care provider before going to an office, clinic or emergency department in order to avoid potentially exposing others. People who have had measles previously or have received two doses of MMR are unlikely to develop the disease even if exposed.
More information about measles is available at health.ri.gov/measles.
