Red Measles Breaking Out in County

Cases of red measles in Orange County will set a 12-year record this year if they continue at the current rate, the director of immunization for the county Health Department said Friday.

Dr. Gerald Wagner said 26 cases have been reported so far. At that rate, he said, the cases could outnumber the record set in 1977 of 397.

“Cases continue to be reported throughout the county,” Wagner said. “The first cases seemed to be just in the Santa Ana and Garden Grove area.”

County records show that there were 109 cases in 1988, up from 12 cases in 1987.

Transmitted Easily

Wagner said red measles, also known as German measles, is transmitted as easily as the common cold. Symptoms include a high fever, a “barking cough,” nasal congestion and a red rash over the entire body. The illness usually lasts 7 to 10 days.

Red measles, which is more serious than rubella measles, can result in complications that commonly include pneumonia. In extreme cases with children, there is a potential of serious ear infection which could cause hearing loss, or brain infections which may result in learning disabilities, Wagner said.

The most serious complication with the recent outbreak has been pneumonia, he said.

Dorothy Kerin, nurse manager at Childrens Hospital of Orange County, said the hospital has had had a significant increase in cases of red measles.

“We used to hardly see any but we’ve been picking up a couple a week since December,” Kerin said.

She said four children have been hospitalized at the hospital with pneumonia resulting from red measles, and three have since been released. The fourth was admitted last week and is in good condition.

The county Health Department advises all adults and children who have never been vaccinated against measles to get vaccinations. The department has lowered the minimum age for vaccinations to 12 months. Previously the minimum recommended age was 15 months.

Vaccinations are not effective for children under a year old, Wagner said. Children that young who have been exposed to red measles can be given a gamma globulin shot to prevent the illness.