Confirmed measles case in Ripley County

(VERSAILLES, Ind.) – A measles case has been confirmed in Ripley County on Monday. 

The Ripley County Health Department reported the case and is encouraging residents to get the vaccine. 

There have been approximately 97 confirmed measles cases in Indiana this year with 6 of them in Switzerland County, 1 in Jennings County and 16 in Wayne County.

Measles is an airborne disease that can spread easily through the air when an infected person breaths, coughs, sneezes or talks. The virus can stay alive in the air for up to two hours. 

Early symptoms of measles include runny rose, cough, tiredness, loss of appetite, fever, spots inside the mouth that look like grains of salt, and pink eye. 

“If one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not protected,” the Indiana Department of Health stated. 

In some cases, measles may cause serious illness such as pneumonia, brain swelling (encephalitis) and can even be fatal in young children.

Health officials urge that the most effective way to protect against measles is with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine.