FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) – As a measles outbreak continues around West Texas, the spread of the virus is becoming more concerning for health professionals in Alaska.
Measles is a virus that is incredibly contagious, according to Colette Textor, a public health nurse at the Fairbanks Public Health Center.
“It’s far more contagious than COVID-19,” she said.
The virus was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, according to the CDC.
A return of the illness has presented risks to various parts of the population.
“It is hardest on young kids under five, and then pregnant women and adults over 20,” Textor explained.
The illness is spread through droplets that can linger in the air and on surfaces for around two hours. As a respiratory illness, it primarily impacts the lungs, “but it also causes a rash,” Textor added.
Other symptoms include coughing, sneezing, runny nose, pink eye, and tiny white spots in the mouth.
Those who receive the MMR vaccine, a measles preventative, will only have mild symptoms if they do get infected. Those who are unvaccinated — or vulnerable populations such as elderly adults, pregnant women, and immunocompromised persons — are more likely to develop serious illness.
The MMR vaccine is normally provided to infants between 12 to 15 months of age, with another shot being provided between four and six years of age.
“The first vaccine, it provides about 93% effectiveness, and then once you get the second dose, you have about 97% effectiveness of coverage,” Textor said.
The vaccine can be received at any age, according to Erin Worley, another public health nurse at the Fairbanks Public Health Center.
The MMR shot is a live vaccine that’s been weakened, according to Textor.
“So when you receive your first dose, you may have mild symptoms,” she explained.
This allows your body to recognize and build up immunity to the virus without fighting a full-strength form of the virus.
Statistics from the Alaska Dept. of Health show that in the second quarter of 2024, 79% of youth eligible for the early childhood vaccine had received the first shot.
That figure dropped to just 64% statewide for those entering kindergarten.
According to Worley, one of the concerns around the illness is that there is no medication for it, and about 5% of kids who get infected develop pneumonia, which can result in hospitalization.
Other serious complications can arise, Worley said, which could include brain swelling, deafness, brain damage, and sometimes death.
While some choose not to receive the vaccine, according to Worley, it is safe to receive.
“It hasn’t changed for many, many, many years. There’s research that shows that it’s safe,” she said. “The best thing to do would be for somebody to talk with their trusted healthcare provider … and to be aware of what’s happening in their community.”
There was one case of measles recorded in Alaska in January.
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