Health district confirms infectious case of measles in Southern Nevada

Parents and staff of a Las Vegas Valley school are being asked to review their immunization status and to have their children or themselves vaccinated because they might have been exposed to someone with an infectious case of measles, the Southern Nevada Health District said Thursday.

Medical experts on Wednesday confirmed the measles case involving a Southern Nevada resident, health district public information officer Stephanie Bethel said. Dr. Joe Iser, chief medical officer of the health district, informed members of the board of health at their regular meeting Thursday.

Health officials refused to tell the public at which school the infectious case was found.

The case is still being investigated, but it probably is not linked to the recent outbreak at Disneyland, Bethel said.

The health district is sending information to local health care providers to consider measles if a patient has symptoms consistent with measles. Those include fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, and tiny white spots with bluish-white centers on a red background found inside the mouth on the inner lining of the cheek. The skin also can develop a rash made up of large, flat blotches that often flow into one another.

Measles symptoms start showing 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

Health district officials are encouraging those connected to the school to review their vaccination records for MMR, which provides immunization against measles, mumps and rubella, Bethel said.

On Thursday at Disneyland, officials sought to reassure visitors that the theme park was safe amid an outbreak that began there in late December. State health officials have urged parents not to bring their unvaccinated children to the park.

The California Department of Public Health has linked 59 confirmed cases of measles to the outbreak believed to have begun when an infected person visited Disneyland, probably from out of the country, between Dec. 15 and Dec. 20.

Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown said attendance at the park has not been affected by the outbreak. Dr. Pamela Hymel, chief medical officer for Walt Disney Parks and resorts, has said that Disney was offering its cast members vaccinations and measles tests.

Reuters contributed to this report.