Public health officials warn about potential measles exposure, shares what to do next

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — A third case of measles has popped up in Montgomery County and public health officials are concerned about it continuing to spread.

According to Public Health officials, anyone who was at Round One entertainment center at the Fairfield Commons Mall on Saturday, March 16 was exposed to measles.

Greene County Public Health told News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson that people who were inside Round One over a week ago should still be keeping an eye on any measles symptoms.

Don Brannen with Greene County Public Health said for the next 21 days people should be monitoring for symptoms similar to the flu and a rash that will typically start forming on the face and neck and then spread down the rest of the body.

Brannen wants people to understand that just because they were exposed does not mean they have it. If you have the vaccine, there is a good chance you won’t catch it.

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Brannen said the measles vaccine is nearly 100% effective and provides lifelong immunity. If you are not sure if you have had the vaccine, Brannen said it does not hurt to go get one to make sure you are protected from the extremely contagious disease.

“This is tragic because, in North and South America, measles was eliminated from our hemisphere. And it was only because of some inadvertent exposure overseas and people coming back that measles has been reintroduced into the Americas,” Brannen said.

We now have a total of 5 cases of measles in the Miami Valley. Three in Montgomery County and two in Miami County. But with how contagious this disease is, Brannen says that we could potentially see more.

“We have several places where there’s been potential exposures from someone who had measles at Kroger marketplace and also at Heritage Bank Center, at the Disney on ice performance, Sugar Creek Health Center,” Brannen said.

There have not been any active cases of measles in Greene County, but public health experts still want people to make sure they have been vaccinated against it.

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