Tennessee confirms its first measles case
This Feb. 6, 2015, file photo shows a measles vaccine is shown on a countertop at the Tamalpais Pediatrics clinic in Greenbrae, Calif. (Eric Risberg/AP file)
In the midst of a national measles outbreak, the Tennessee Department of Health has confirmed the state’s first measles case of 2025.
A resident of Middle Tennessee became infected with the virus in early March and is recovering at home.
Public health officials are working to identity the source of the infection as well as other locations and individuals who were possibly exposed.
As of March 20, a national measles outbreak involves 378 cases in 17 states, including two deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Of those infected, 95% were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. Most infections were among children or teens: 33% were under age 5 and 42% were ages 5-19.
Measles is a highly infectious and potentially fatal disease that spreads easily through the air when an infected person speaks, coughs or sneezes.
Symptoms can include fever, headache, cough, congestion and red eyes. The illness is typically accompanied by a spotty rash that begins on the face and spreads over the body.
In the U.S., the first dose of measles vaccine is routinely administered to children at ages 12-15 months in combination with mumps and rubella via the MMR vaccine. A second dose is routinely administered to children 4-6 years of age.
Health professionals recommend that adults who were not vaccinated as children should get at least one dose of the MMR vaccine. Those at high risk because they work in education or health care should get two doses, 28 days apart.
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measles Tennessee Department of Health Infectious DiseaseAisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.
As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.
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