Possible exposure to measles reported in Chattanooga and Clinton TN

Press release from the Tennessee Dept. of Health:

NASHVILLE  – The Tennessee Department of Health continues to investigate a case of measles in a resident of East Tennessee and notify people who may have been exposed to the illness through contact with the patient. This investigation has identified two locations the patient visited in Tennessee where members of the public may have been exposed to measles.

People who were at either of these locations during the dates and times specified below may have been exposed to measles:

• Mapco 200 Browns Ferry Road, Chattanooga April 11, 2019 from 7:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.
• Speedway 2148 North Charles G. Seivers Blvd., Clinton April 12, 2019 from 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
  
  Anyone who visited either of these locations during the specified times and dates should do the following: 
• Check your vaccination status. Locate your immunization records. People who have had two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella or MMR vaccine are protected against measles and need to take no further action in regard to an exposure to measles. Contact your health care provider if you cannot locate your immunization records and/or are not certain if you are immune to measles. 
• If you are not immune to measles, watch for symptoms of the illness. Measles symptoms may include fever, runny nose, body aches, watery eyes and white spots in the mouth. Several days after these symptoms start, a red, spotty rash typically begins on the face and spreads over the body. Symptoms may develop any time in the 21 days following exposure to the illness. Nearly one in three measles patients will develop ear infections, diarrhea or pneumonia. 
• If you develop measles symptoms, stay home and contact your health care provider. Those with symptoms of measles should first call a health care provider to make arrangements to visit a health care facility before going to a health care center in order to prevent further exposure of others to the illness.   

“Most people in Tennessee are vaccinated against measles and are protected against this illness,” said TDH State Epidemiologist Tim Jones, MD. “This appearance of measles is a reminder about the importance of vaccines in protecting our population, and we urge everyone who has not been vaccinated to do so now to protect themselves, their families, their coworkers, and their communities.” 

At this time TDH has confirmed one case of measles in Tennessee this year.

People with questions about what to do to protect themselves against measles should call a health care provider, the local health department 
www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/localdepartments.html or a hotline established to provide answers to questions from the public about measles. The hotline number is 865-549-5343; calls to the hotline will be answered from 7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Central time/8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Eastern time daily until further notice. 

For more information about measles, visit www.tn.gov/health/cedep/tennesee-measles.html.

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee. Learn more about TDH services and programs at www.tn.gov/health.