Atlanta resident has been diagnosed with measles
A metro Atlanta resident who was not vaccinated has been diagnosed with measles, the highly infectious disease that used to be on the wane. The disease can be fatal, and most of the patients that measles kills are children under 5 years old.
The patient’s age was not disclosed in the public announcement.
Public health officials urged parents to get their kids vaccinated, both to protect their child and to protect other people from their child becoming a carrier.
The patient is Georgia’s first measles case this year. They were infectious — able to infect others — from Jan. 19 to Jan. 24. Georgia Department of Public Health officials said Tuesday they are working to identify who the patient might have been in contact with and get them tested.
This is done confidentially, with the goal of stopping cases from spreading into an outbreak.
The Georgia patient got the infection while traveling in the U.S.
Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. Since then, though, vaccination rates have begun declining and last year there were 284 cases in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 87% were not vaccinated.
In a recent measles tragedy, the island of Samoa saw an outbreak in 2019 where 5,707 people were infected. Of those, 83 people died, and 87% of the deaths were reported as children younger than 5 years old, according to the British journal The Lancet.
Vaccination is safe and highly effective, according to public health scientists.
Measles: What it is, what to do.
Here are facts and advice from the Georgia Department of Public Health following the latest case announced Tuesday.
IS IT MEASLES?
- Measles is very contagious and spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
- Measles virus can stay in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person has left the room.
- Measles symptoms appear seven to 14 days after contact with the virus.
- These typically include high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes.
- Then, a rash of tiny, red spots breaks out.
- It starts at the head and spreads to the rest of the body.
VACCINATION WORKS
- The MMR, a vaccine to prevent measles, mumps, and rubella, is safe and effective. The CDC recommends children receive their first dose of MMR vaccine between 12-15 months of age and a second dose between 4-6 years old.
- More than 95% of the people who receive a single dose of MMR will develop immunity to all three viruses. A second dose boosts immunity, typically enhancing protection to 98%.
- People with symptoms of measles should contact their health care provider immediately.
- Do not go in person to the doctor’s office, the hospital or a public health clinic without first calling to let them know about your symptoms.
- Health care providers who suspect measles in a patient should notify public health immediately.
- This is the first reported measles case in Georgia in 2025. In 2024, there were six reported cases of measles in Georgia.
Source: Georgia Department of Public Health
About the Author
Ariel Hart is a reporter on health care issues. She works on the AJC’s health team and has reported on subjects including the Voting Rights Act and transportation.
