Boston health agency announces 5 new measles cases

E-mail | Print | Comments () Posted by Deborah Kotz May 10, 2011 04:10 PM

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By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Five new cases of measles have been confirmed in Boston: one is a resident and four are out-of-towners who recently visited the city while contagious, according to an announcement today by the Boston Public Health Commission.

The patients, ages 16 months to 65 years, include a man who worked at South Station while contagious. So far, the cases appear unrelated. "We're still trying to see if there's any link, but we have nothing at this point to connect them," says comission spokeswoman Ann Scales.

She added that the cases were also unrelated to a recent February uptick that occurred in the Back Bay area and were linked to a Park Square office building.

At that time, public health officials administered free mass vaccinations to those who worked and lived in that area to try to contain the disease's spread.

While most younger folks have some immunity to measles due to previous vaccinations, older adults and those not up-to-date on their immunizations can be susceptible to catching the virus, which is extremely contagious.

Public health officials urge anyone who's come in contact with a measles sufferer to take precautions such as seeing their doctor immediately if they develop symptoms like malaise and a cough. The telltale rash often doesn't develop until a few days after infection.

Here are more details on what to do to avoid measles.

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about the blog

Daily Dose gives you the latest consumer health news and advice from Boston-area experts. Deborah Kotz is a former reporter for US News and World Report. Write her at dailydose@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @debkotz2.

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