Sandoval County joins those most affected by measles with four recent cases

ALBUQUERQUE — Measles is edging into New Mexico’s largest metro area, with six cases reported in Sandoval County, health officials said Thursday.

The new Sandoval County cases bring the state’s total to 76 confirmed illnesses, New Mexico Department of Health officials said Thursday at a news conference in Albuquerque. It was up to 79 as of Tuesday’s press time.

The first two Sandoval County cases were announced May 15. Health officials said at the time that those infected had traveled to sites in Albuquerque and the East Mountains. Four more were confirmed May 23.

The cases in Sandoval County were found in an infant too young for vaccination, an unvaccinated child under the age of 4, an adult of unknown vaccination status, and three adults, each with at least one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine.

Measles cases previously were confined largely to southeastern New Mexico, primarily in Lea County, which has experienced 66 cases since early February, including six hospitalizations and one death.

“This is the largest outbreak New Mexico has seen in many years,” Chief Medical Officer Dr. Miranda Durham said Thursday. “Should we be scared? If you are vaccinated and up to date on vaccines, you really are very well protected and so don’t need to be scared.”

Health officials called the news conference on May 21 to mark the milestone of 75 cases, Health Secretary Gina DeBlassie said. Additional cases were confirmed in the following days.

“As summer is approaching and travel season is upon us, we want to make sure that we get information out about the measles virus, and we want to make sure that everybody stays safe,” DeBlassie said.

Health officials recommend the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine as the best protection against the highly infectious viral illness.

Sandoval joins Lea, Doña Ana and Curry counties as those most affected, which impacts vaccine recommendations for residents in those areas.

Health officials recommend the MMR vaccine for infants ages 6 to 11 months who live in areas of high measles activity, or plan to travel to other places in the U.S. or internationally, Durham said.

“That’s the message, get vaccinated before you travel,” she said.

Children who get the early dose will need two additional doses, with a second at ages 12-15 months, and a third at 4-6 years of age.

“Fortunately, for our kids in New Mexico, we have a really great vaccination rate” at about 95% for kids entering kindergarten, Durham said.

For adults who live in the most affected areas, two doses of MMR vaccine are recommended, she said.

The measles outbreak has led to a spike in MMR vaccinations in New Mexico. As of Wednesday, 29,207 New Mexicans had received an MMR vaccination, nearly double last year’s tally in the same period.

The New Mexico outbreak coincides with a larger outbreak in Texas, where 729 cases were confirmed as of Tuesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Two school-age children have died of measles since January.

The Texas outbreak is centered in Gaines County, where 408 cases have been confirmed since late January. Gaines County borders New Mexico’s Lea County.

About 17% of the New Mexico measles patients have required hospitalization. Serious complications can include pneumonia, encephalitis or death.

Measles caused the death of one unvaccinated Lea Country resident in March, health officials said.

“The measles virus is one of the most contagious viruses that we know,” Durham said. “Those viral particles can stay suspended in the air for up to two hours in an enclosed environment, which is one of the reasons why it’s so contagious.” The virus is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Initial symptoms are fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes that last for two to four days. Then a rash develops that typically starts on the head and spreads down across the body.

People remain infectious for about eight days, from four days before the onset of the rash until four days after. If you have those symptoms, call ahead to a medical provider before showing up at the office, Durham said.

Anyone with symptoms or who believes they were exposed to measles is urged to call the NMDOH helpline at 1-833-SWNURSE (833-796-8773).