The Joplin City Health Department will be offering measles vaccination at no cost to Missouri residents. There have been no confirmed cases in Joplin, although Missouri has had an increase in confirmed cases of measles.
The Department of Health and Senior Services Bureau of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention (DHSS) is recommending any person who has not been immunized and was born after 1957 to consider immunization. Please check your immunization records for the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine and contact the City of Joplin Health Department at 417-623-6122 if you have questions and/or to schedule an appointment.
Measles (also called rubeola, red measles, or hard measles) is a highly contagious virus and is a serious illness. Persons who remain unvaccinated put themselves and others in their community, particularly those who cannot be vaccinated, at risk for this disease and its complications. Currently, measles most often occurs in those who have never had measles or measles vaccine who are traveling into and out of the United States. Measles is transmitted person-to-person among close contacts when a person with measles coughs, sneezes, or breathes out tiny droplets with measles virus into the air and another person breathes them in. Transmission may also occur by handling or touching contaminated objects and then touching your eyes, nose, and/or mouth. Measles may be transmitted from 4 days before to 4 days after rash onset.
If you have been exposed to measles you should contact your healthcare provider if you develop cold-like symptoms with a fever and/or rash. Call before you go to the healthcare facility to prevent further spread.
For more information about measles, or to schedule a vaccination, please contact Jan Clark at the Joplin City Health Department: 417-623-6122.
For additional information about measles, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site at: http://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html
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