Durham preschool identified as second location of possible measles exposure

Public health officials in Durham County said Monday that students and staff at a local preschool might have been exposed to measles last week.

Officials issued a warning on Saturday that possible exposure might have occurred at Bean Traders, a coffee shop at 105 W. N.C. Highway 54, last Monday. Dr. Arlene Seña, medical director at the Durham County Health Department, said families with children at The Goddard School and school staff also have been notified to be on the lookout for possible symptoms of the illness.

Public health officials were at The Goddard School, at 5300 Fayetteville Road, on Monday morning, reviewing vaccination records and testing and vaccinating people.

Seña said initial tests on a person came back as positive for measles, but those tests need to be confirmed by a national lab. The results are expected later this week.

The initial positive test could be from antibodies in the person's blood after receiving a measles vaccine, she said.

She declined to say whether the suspected case was an adult or a child or provide details about how the possible exposure occurred at two locations.

A letter sent Saturday by the Public health Department to parents of children at The Goddard School said a child with possible measles was at the school last Tuesday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and that exposure to the virus can occur up to two hours after an infected person has left a specific location.

School officials sent a separate note to parents stating, "I wanted to also let you know that the child in question had taken every precaution possible, including the necessary vaccines."

Measles is a highly contagious illness that is spread through coughing, sneezing and contact with secretions from the nose, mouth and throat of an infected person.

"It's so contagious that, if one person has measles, up to 90 percent of [unvaccinated] individuals who are exposed will become infected," Seña said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 1,044 measles cases in 28 states this year. North Carolina has had no confirmed cases so far this year, but there were three cases last year, all of which were people who had traveled outside the state, she said.

Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, a cough, a runny nose and watery, red eyes. The second stage begins around the third to seventh day, when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads over the entire body.

Officials said people who visited Bean Traders or have a connection to The Goddard School should be watchful for any symptoms through July 1.

"I am a little shocked," Amy Grissom, a customer at Bean Traders, said Monday. "I would hope that people would get vaccinated for that type of thing at this point."

There were no signs at the coffee shop Monday about the public health warning. The owner said he notified customers on social media.

"As long as the word is out there, hopefully everyone will be fine," Grissom said.

Anyone who shows first-stage symptoms should stay home to reduce the risk of exposing others, officials said. If second-stage symptoms develop, call a primary physician to discuss care, officials said, warning people not to go to the office or an emergency room to avoid exposing others.

Measles is preventable through the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine. Two doses are recommended for most individuals, with the first dose given at age 12-15 months and the second prior to kindergarten. One dose of the MMR vaccine is 93 percent effective against measles, and two doses of MMR vaccine are 97 percent effective.

Seña urged people who were at either location on the days in question who haven't been vaccinated or are pregnant or have a weakened immune system to call the Durham County Department of Public Health at 919-560-HELP.