People in Cortez and Mancos may have been exposed to the measles from confirmed case in a school-age child in Montezuma County, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The child developed after traveling to another state with an ongoing outbreak, Colorado officials said Wednesday night. They had not been vaccinated with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
People who were in Cortez or Mancos between Nov. 5 and Tuesday may have been exposed and should monitor for symptoms and consider avoiding public gatherings through Dec. 4, health officials said.
State officials cannot provide more specific information about potential exposure locations because the household related to the child’s case would not participate fully in the disease investigation. That limited public health officials’ ability to identify people who could have been exposed or pinpoint exposure locations, CDPHE spokesperson Hope Shuler said.
“Because there may be unidentified exposures, we issued the alert to ensure that residents and visitors in Cortez and Mancos are aware of the possible risk,” Shuler said.
Measles symptoms usually develop within 7 to 21 days after exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash that typically starts a few days later on the face before spreading.
Anyone who develops symptoms should contact their health care provider by phone to discuss next steps and prevent more exposures, public health officials said.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that is largely prevented with two doses of the MMR vaccine.
Public health officials have confirmed 31 measles case among Coloradans this year, according to a updated in October.
