As concerns mount over the growing outbreak of measles across the country, Kent health officials are offering advice for how the community can stay safe.
NBC News’ tracker of confirmed measles cases in the United States reports there are 17 confirmed cases in Ohio. There have been 10 reported cases in Ashtabula County and three cases in Knox County, according to Joan Seidel, the commissioner for health at Kent City Health Department.
Seidel said she hopes to alleviate concerns students may have regarding the measles outbreak in Ohio.
“Measles is a class A disease,” she said. “If a student at Kent State was being tested at Kent, I would immediately reach out to administration.”
While Seidel said there are no confirmed cases in Portage County, she believes students should seek out factual information about the disease, keep track of their immune status and contact the DeWeese Health Center or the local health department with any concerns. Seidel also said vaccinations are a crucial step in keeping the community safe.
“A big prevention is to promote vaccines,” Seidel said. “You can transmit four days before and five days after a rash appears.”
DeWeese Health Center offers MMR vaccines to the Kent State community, Seidel said. She also addressed stigmas around vaccines and pushed back against claims that vitamin A could prevent measles.
Vitamin A will not prevent measles, according to Seidel, and while she said vitamins may help, they will not prevent disease. Seidel also said if people are taking vitamin A supplements, it’s important to be careful of doses.
“Right now, they are seeing that children in Texas are being given too much vitamin A to help with measles, but it ends up hurting their liver,” she said. “Too much of a good thing can become a bad thing.”
Jeffrey Hallam, the director of Healthy Communities Research Institute and senior associate dean for the College of Public Health, agreed that vaccines can control the outbreak.
“The MMR vaccine is highly effective and prevents the spread of measles,” he said. “If students haven’t been vaccinated or are unsure of their vaccination status, I strongly encourage them to go to the student health center or their health care provider.”
Hallam pointed out that all the recent measles cases in Ashtabula County were unvaccinated individuals. Though he said it’s unlikely students will encounter someone with measles, he said they should stay informed on the news and monitor their symptoms.
“Follow updates from the university and public health officials about the situation,” he said. “If you experience a high fever, cough, runny nose and a characteristic rash, seek medical attention immediately and avoid attending classes or group activities.”
Students should be mindful of their vaccination status and encourage others to get vaccinated, he said.
Tanner Smith is a beat reporter. Contact him at [email protected].