OCONTO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Wisconsin has its first confirmed measles cases amid the country’s worst year for the disease since it was declared eliminated 25 years ago.
The state health department reports there are nine cases in Oconto County.
Oconto County Public Health Officer Jaelyn Scanlan says the specific location of the county’s cases is not being shared because no sources of public exposure were identified.
State health officials say the risk to the community is low.
“I’m still going to go out, go to the store,” said Amanda Borah of Oconto. “I’m still going to go to church. It’s not going to stop me from living.”
Dr. Jeff Pothof, UW Health Chief Quality Officer and emergency medicine doctor, says the cases should serve as a wake-up call to people who are unvaccinated.
“We have a lot of risk here in Wisconsin for a lot of people to get sick from measles,” said Pothof.
CDC data shows Wisconsin had the third lowest MMR vaccination rate for kindergarteners in the 2023-24 school year at 86.5%.
Ninety-two percent of the country’s 1,333 cases this year are from unvaccinated people and 9 of 10 unvaccinated people on average become infected upon exposure, according to the CDC.
Thirteen of this year’s cases have resulted in hospitalizations.
“Now having cases in Wisconsin, I think is concerning,” said Pothof. “I think if there is a silver lining here it sounds like this case is someone who traveled who then probably infected a bunch of people when they got home, but maybe had not been in public spaces or things like that.”
Health officials say symptoms show up about six to 20 days after exposure. It typically starts with feeling tired and a loss of appetite and turns into a cough, runny nose, pink eye, sore throat and a fever that can be severe. A few days after that is when a rash starts to develop.
“It starts out at the head, so it’s going to be head faces then it’s going to work its way down your body, it’s going to spare your palms and the souls of your feet,” said Pothof.
Three people, including two children, have died from measles in the U.S. this year, matching the total deaths from the previous 25 years.
“Even one child dying from something that is nearly completely preventable with the vaccine, it seems crazy that we would let that happen to our kids,” said Pothof.
“I would rather walk by faith and not by any kind of medication,” said Borah. “If your child’s not vaccinated or people are not vaccinated, I guess that’s their own choice and that’s the risk that they’re taking. I guess that’s nobody else’s business.”
The first dose of the vaccine is recommended between 12 and 15 months after birth. The second dose between four and six years old.
If you aren’t vaccinated, health officials say you can get your first dose at any time.
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