Measles

As you may have heard, there has been a resurgence of confirmed measles cases in the United States this year as compared to previous years. There was also a recent exposure to measles in our area.

The St. Louis County Department of Public Health (SLDPH) has asked that we share information with families about measles (PDF) and what would happen if there was a confirmed case in your child’s school.

Measles is highly contagious. In fact, measles droplets stay suspended in the air for up to two hours after the infected person leaves the room, and about nine out of 10 people who are not immune will become infected with measles if they are exposed. Because of this, anyone who is in the same school building as a person who is contagious with measles is considered exposed.

If someone at your child’s school tests positive for measles, SLDPH would notify our district wellness and health services supervisor, who would in turn notify the school staff and parents about the confirmed case. SLDPH would do a case investigation, and any student who is not fully immunized or doesn't have documented laboratory evidence of immunity would need to stay at home until cleared to return by SLDPH.

According to SLDPH, the risk of a measles outbreak (three or more cases that are linked to one another) in St. Louis County is currently low. However, we wanted to share the information provided by SLDPH so you can be prepared by checking on your child’s vaccinations and making sure your school nurse has updated immunization records. More information about measles can be found at cdc.gov/measles.