From the Arkansas Advocate:
The Arkansas Department of Health on Tuesday reported the state’s fourth confirmed pediatric measles case in an Arkansas resident. Because the child did not travel outside the state, this indicates the first case of community spread this year, according to a press release.
Measles is a highly contagious illness that can cause severe health complications. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis and rash, according to the health department. Patients are infectious both four days before and after they develop a rash.
The individual was not fully vaccinated and lives in Faulkner County. While infectious, the person visited Conway Regional Greenbrier Family Medicine from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 18 and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 21. The individual also visited Irby Dance Studio in Conway from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on April 23, according to the release.
The state health department will be contacting potentially exposed individuals and is urging anyone at the identified locations to get up to date on the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine as quickly as possible. If the vaccine is given soon after exposure, it can stop the infection from developing, according to health officials.
Anyone who may have been exposed to measles should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after exposure. People who develop symptoms should inform their health care provider that they were potentially exposed to measles and are now experiencing symptoms, according to the release.
Because there is evidence of community spread in Faulkner County, vaccine recommendations for anyone living in or traveling to Faulkner County and surrounding counties (Cleburne, Conway, Lonoke, Perry, Pulaski, Van Buren and White) have been updated.
ADH reported the state’s first case of pediatric measles since 2018 on April 10. The unvaccinated Saline County resident was exposed during out-of-state travel. ADH reported a second case that same day in an unvaccinated Faulkner County resident who was also exposed during travel.
There were nearly 900 confirmed cases of measles in 30 states as of April 24, more than three times the cases in all of 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The vast majority of confirmed cases, around 650 as of last week, are in Texas where an outbreak started in the western part of the state about three months ago. Two unvaccinated school-aged children living in the outbreak area have died, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
A new poll by the nonpartisan health research organization KFF found a correlation between false claims about measles and lower vaccination rates.
More information about measles, including a list of Arkansas measles exposure locations, is available on the state health department’s website.
