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The Georgia Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that a third member of an unvaccinated family has contracted measles.
The outbreak began after one relative living in metro Atlanta contracted measles abroad. The first case was confirmed in May, followed by a second family member earlier this month.
The latter two patients had been in home quarantine after exposure, and “there were no additional exposures,” DPH spokesperson Nancy Nydam Shirek said in a news release.
The first two patients have fully recovered, she said.
The latest case is the sixth this year in Georgia and marks the second outbreak in the state. An outbreak is defined as three related cases. In 2024, the state saw a total of six cases.
In late January, an unvaccinated child from Gwinnett County contracted measles after domestic travel. That spread to two unvaccinated siblings.
Nationally, 1,197 cases have been reported as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the cases are connected to a large outbreak in west Texas and New Mexico. Two Texas children and a New Mexico adult – all unvaccinated – have died.
Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles. Children typically get two doses of the vaccine as part of the measles, mumps, rubella regimen – the first between ages 12 and 15 months, and the second between ages 4 and 6 years.
“More than 95% of the people who receive a single dose of MMR will develop immunity to all three viruses,” Nydam Shirek said. “A second dose boosts immunity, typically enhancing protection to 98%.”
Epidemiologists recommend a “herd immunity” vaccination rate of about 95% to prevent transmission of measles, but the latest data from Georgia shows that young children and kindergarten vaccination rates are below that.
Symptoms of measles include a high fever, cough, runny nose, red watery eyes, and a characteristic red rash.
People who suspect they or their child have measles are urged to contact their health care providers rather than go to a hospital, clinic, or office without calling first, because the disease is very contagious, according to DPH. It can infect up to 9 of 10 unvaccinated people nearby.
