State officials have confirmed a case of measles in Vermont, officials announced Tuesday, the first confirmed case in the state since 2018.
The individual who was confirmed to have the disease had come to Vermont for an “international group program,” according to a Department of Health press release, and had stayed at the Hampton Inn in Colchester earlier this month.
“The health risk to members of the public in Vermont is low,” the department said in its press release. “However, there was a limited possibility of exposure at the hotel where some of the travelers were staying.”
State officials are urging anyone who was at the hotel on Wednesday, April 17, prior to 3:45 p.m. to take certain measures to ensure they didn’t contract the disease.
People at the hotel during that time should confirm that they have immunity to the disease by checking immunization records or contacting their health care provider, according to the state. Anyone who is unsure of or cannot confirm their immunity status is advised to call the state health department as quickly as possible.
Anyone at the hotel last Wednesday before 3:45 should continue checking for measles symptoms through May 8, according to the department. If symptoms arise, patients should contact a health care provider.
Another 25 members of the international group were also exposed to the disease, “but most have immunity and are protected from measles,” the press release reads.
Earlier this month, according to Vermont’s health department, health officials in Georgia determined that the group had been exposed to another traveler with measles before arriving on an international flight into Atlanta. The international group then traveled from Georgia to Vermont, according to Ben Truman, a spokesperson for the Vermont Department of Health.
“They were exposed while traveling,” Truman said in an interview. “Georgia Public Health (Department) identified that the person had measles. So this was a part of their contact tracing.”
On April 11, the Georgia Department of Public Health announced that officials had “confirmed a third case of measles in an unvaccinated individual traveling with an international group of students.”
“The individual, who does not live in the United States, is isolated and receiving treatment at a local hospital,” Georgia officials said.
A day later, Vermont’s health department announced that it was investigating measles exposure among 26 people in an international program.
“The 18 teenagers and eight adults were exposed to an unvaccinated person with a confirmed case of measles traveling to the U.S.,” the state said in an April 12 press release.
Once notified by state officials, the international group self-quarantined, according to Truman. Now, the state is doing the “same thing that we did throughout Covid, just a very comprehensive contact tracing effort,” he said.
Truman said he could not discuss the group’s current health status.
“This has been a very difficult situation for the youth and adult chaperones involved,” he said in an email. “We strive to do our public health work with the utmost empathy and care while helping protect the health of the group, and those around them.”
Measles is a contagious respiratory virus that can cause fever, rash and severe illness, although it is almost completely preventable with vaccines.
Data on Vermont’s measles vaccination rate was not immediately available, although Truman said the rate was generally high.
