OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — After several cases of measles are confirmed in Northeast Wisconsin, health officials urge people to get immunized for the virus.
- Nine cases of measles were confirmed in Oconto County, the first reported cases in Wisconsin this year.
- Wisconsin has the third lowest vaccination rates for kindergartners in the country, according to the CDC.
- Health officials say there is no concern for people who are vaccinated.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, edited for web).
“Realize how contagious measles is, it is the most contagious," Jaci Grignon, Winnebago County Public Health communicable disease supervisor, says.
Grignon says 9 out of 10 un-vaccinated people who come in contact with measles will get it.
“And it hangs in the air for a long period of time," she says.
Her best advice is to speak with your provider about getting vaccinated.
“If you're prepared now, and you're vaccinated, there are no concerns," she says. "Anyone vaccinated and immunized, there's no concern.”
Wisconsin has the third lowest measles vaccination rate in the country for kindergartners, according to the CDC.
“Wisconsin is a state that has exemptions for schools that not all states cover," Grignon says.
While public schools require vaccination in Wisconsin, the state allows exemptions for personal, medical and religious reasons. Parents have to fill out a waiver for exemption.
Watch the full broadcast story here:
Dr. Donald Beno has been a pediatrician at Aurora BayCare Medical center for 21 years. He says he's noticed a decline of people's trust in vaccine over the past two decades.
“That’s why we try and point out that these are not new vaccines, these are vaccines that I got as an infant, vaccines that our parents got and possibly our grandparents got," he says.
Both Dr. Beno and Grignon agree, the best way to protect yourself from measles is vaccination.
“For measles, that has absolutely no symptoms for the first four days of your infection when you're actually at some of the highest risk of transmission– that's the key problem is you are not sick, and so the best way with this particular virus is to prevent it by getting vaccinated," Dr. Beno says.
Grignon says if you believe you've been exposed to measles, call your provider and let them know before you go in person, so you limit the possibility of spreading the virus.
You can check your immunization records with the Wisconsin DHS.
