Measles alert in Forsyth likely false alarm

A sick third-grader gave Forsyth County parents a measles scare, but test results Thursday showed the child probably does not have the quick-spreading disease.

Jennifer Carracciolo, a spokeswoman for Forsyth County Schools said a physician reported the possible Forsyth case to county health officials, who notified the schools. The school system notified the parents of 1,063 students at Sharon Elementary School.

A measles test carried out by the Georgia Public Health Lab came back negative. The test done at the Public Health lab is considered one of the most definitive tests for measles. It is highly unlikely the child has measles, but out of an abundance of caution, the specimens have now been sent to the CDC for further testing.

There has been only one recorded case of the disease in Georgia this year. In February, an infected infant, who arrived in Atlanta from outside the United States, was treated at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. Before that, Georgia had not had a confirmed case since 2012.

Schools require children to be vaccinated against measles, but parents can get a waiver for medical or religious reasons.

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Jaime Sarrio

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