Health officials are examining a Baltimore County child for a potential case of the measles, according to a statement.
The child, who did not have a measles vaccination, was seen at Sinai Hospital. The child is currently at home and “in isolation,” the statement said. While the symptoms are consistent with measles, further tests are required to make a diagnosis.
“This may be a false alarm and the patient may not have measles,” said Leana Wen, M.D., Baltimore City Health Commissioner. “However, measles is highly contagious, and out of an abundance of caution, we are treating this as a suspected measles case and taking every necessary precaution to ensure the health and safety of Baltimore residents.”
Earlier this year, a measles outbreak of 117 cases that was traced to Disneyland led to a national debate about the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine. Tests of a case that was suspected around that time turned up negative.
Baltimore City hasn’t had a documented measles case in a decade, health officials said. About 99 percent of public school children in the city are believed to have been vaccinated.
Parents who don’t give their child the MMR vaccine and don’t have a medical reason to not vaccinate their child should be charged with child abuse/neglect, prosecuted and sent to prison