Orange County links measles risk to youth baseball game

A person who attended two games of the Hillsborough Youth Athletic Association (HYAA) – on Friday, May 3, at 6 p.m. at the Cedar Grove Park in Cedar Grove and on Saturday, May 4, at 4:30 p.m. at Exchange Club Park in Hillsborough – developed symptoms of measles on Sunday.

Those who attended the games, even if they have current vaccinations, should be on alert for symptoms of measles, which include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash that begins on the head and spreads downward over the body. 

While the person diagnosed with measles Sunday had been vaccinated and had no reason to suspect he was contagious, rare cases of measles develop in those with a current vaccine, the health department said. People with measles can infect others up to four days before they show symptoms.

The Orange County Health Department is offering free measles vaccines to those who think they might have been exposed.

People who suspect they have measles are advised to stay home in order to limit further spread of the disease and to call a doctor to schedule a measles test.

Since the outbreak was identified in April, state and local public health authorities have identified 23 confirmed cases and have notified more than 1,000 people in Stokes, Forsyth, Guilford, Orange, Polk and Chatham counties who may have been exposed to the disease.

Of the dozens diagnosed with measles over the past month, most had not been vaccinated.

Most of the cases are associated with people who live in or have visited the Prabhupada Village in Stokes County. Investigators have also determined that two people infected with measles attended the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival in April before they knew they might be ill.

Most people make a full recovery from measles, but it can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, the babies they carry and infants who are too young to have been vaccinated.