GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — A Measles case has been reported for the first time in North Carolina since 2018 as it happened near Charlotte Monday.
The case was reported by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and health officials at ECU said the disease is one of the most contagious viruses around and is an airborne disease.
Another concern is that a person is contagious about four days before they start to show symptoms. They said making sure your child has the Measles vaccine is a significant part of making sure the virus doesn’t spread.
“Problem is, with Measles, you really have to have well over 95 percent of your community immunized to really prevent it,” Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at ECU Brody School of Medicine Alex Dalzell said. “And so, we’re well below that number in the county, let alone North Carolina. So there is a risk in our community for measles to occur. And so, it’s going to most likely hit kids who either have not been immunized or who may have been immunized, but they have an immuno-compromising condition.”