N.J.'s first suspected case of measles this year being investigated.

[elleng]

The state Department of Health, along with Jersey City, is investigating a suspected case of measles in a baby, a state official said Thursday.

If confirmed, it would be the first case of measles in New Jersey this year, and would add to the growing number of cases of the highly contagious disease across the country.

According to state Health Department spokeswoman Donna Leusner, the suspected measles case involves a 1-year-old baby who not been vaccinated. Health authorities do not recommend vaccinating children under 1 year old, usually recommending that parents wait until the child is between 12 and 15 months old.

The baby has recovered, Leusner said.

However, the potential for individuals to have been exposed to the virus remains. According to Leusner, the latest time a person could become ill due to exposure in this case will be Feb. 7.

In addition, residents of the building where the baby lives were notified of a potential measles exposure "out of an abundance of caution." The statement did not identify the baby's family's address.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/02/nj_officials_report_first_suspect_case_of_measles.html

[hollysmom]

1. good thing

they might have made the baby stay in a tent out side a hospital!

[PADemD]

2. No, Just In-Home Quarantine

Like was done in the good old days (50's) when we had polio and other childhood disease epidemics.

[yellowcanine]

3. I assume that N.J. Governor Big Mouth had no comment on this situation.

[hobbit709]

4. It's amazing how many times he can put his foot in his mouth while his head is up his ass.

That's world-class contortionism in action.

[edhopper]

5. Will Christie order the baby

quarantined?

Measles is actually more contagious than Ebola.

[Yo_Mama]

7. Pretty much all states order quarantines/isolation for measles as necessary.

Precisely because it is so incredibly communicable. For pop-up cases it doesn't do much good, because the infected person is infectious for days before showing all the symptoms. But once they have one, persons who are not believed immune with exposure to that case would be isolated for days or weeks (until the period of possible contagion is past) from sensitive exposures. So, a vaccinated adult with exposure to an infected child might be able to go to work, but someone with possible exposure whose immune status is not known would probably be barred from a school, daycare or healthcare job until immunity could be confirmed.

Unvaccinated children with exposures would probably be kept from attending school.

Most institutes of higher education require students and faculty to get either proof of titer immunity or a booster, so there's a lot of adult coverage there.

However, a lot of times the pop-up cases are in kids too young to be immunized, so that's why you see it in daycare.

Measles is so infectious that an immune person can be exposed to an infected person and carry some of the virus particles from that exposure home and infect their own small child or infant.

[MohRokTah]

6. The widespread nature of the cases and the large total number of cases is a red flag.

We are on the brink of measles being endemic to the United States again.

If something isn't done, and I mean within weeks, not months, to insure all are vaccinated, all efforts at eradicating the Measles will be set back by decades.

[DonCoquixote]

8. this is very bad because

Jersey City actually has one of the denser populations in the nation. It is the city right scorss the river from NYC, where a lot of people who work in Manhattan actually live.

[annabanana]

9. I hope we're not stuck closing the barn door

after the horse has escaped...