The state health department is waiting to confirm a case of the measles. An infant in Barrington may have contracted the virus before receiving the vaccine. Other children in a daycare setting may also have been exposed to the virus.
According to the state Department of Health, 59 people were exposed to the infant who may have contracted the measles. They range in age from 1 month to 63-years-old. The health department says about half were found to be immune, and the other half were treated with vaccines. The measles is a highly contagious disease, which is spread through coughing and sneezing. Symptoms generally include a fever, runny nose, sore throat and a rash.
While the virus is considered to be eliminated in the U.S. thanks to vaccines, occasional cases are still reported. The Federal Centers for Disease Control say that’s due to unvaccinated people who pick up the virus abroad and bring it back to the U.S.
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