Thursday, 4:30 PM
Measles reported in Boston
By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff
Boston public health authorities reported this morning that two more workers in an office at the John Hancock Tower have developed measles, a potentially life-threatening respiratory illness.
Earlier this month, a man visiting from India for work developed an infectious case of the viral illness, the first time a case of measles had been reported in Boston since 1999. When the case was discovered, the Boston Public Health Commission provided vaccinations to the man's colleagues at Investors Bank & Trust, a financial services company.
In a statement released this morning, the Public Health Commission said it would be offering another round of vaccinations this week at the company. Dr. Anita Barry, the commission's top disease tracker, said in an interview that the two most recently exposed patients are both recovering from their illness and that neither needed to be hospitalized. Barry said the men do not recall whether they had ever been vaccinated against measles.
The first patient, who had not been inoculated against measles, recovered.
People previously vaccinated against the disease or who have been exposed to it earlier in life stand little or no risk of catching the illness.
Once a common scourge of childhood, measles has largely been eradicated from the United States in recent decades. Telltale signs of the condition include rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Symptoms typically do not develop until eight to 12 days after exposure.
