According to the CDC, there has been an increased report of Measles cases in the US recently.
Measles is spread from coughing or sneezing, etc from an infected person. It can be contracted airborne or if a person touches a surface where the virus has fallen. Measles can live up to 2 hours in the air even after the infected person leaves the area. It is a highly contagious virus, if one person has it, 90% of people close to that person will become infected unless they have immunity. Infected people can spread the virus four days before a rash appears and up to four days after.
Symptoms include fever, red watery eyes, similar to pink eye, cough and runny nose. Eventually, a rash will appear. Measles can be prevented with the MMR vaccine, which also protects against mumps and rubella.
Some ways to protect against the spread of an infected person include:
- Be conscious of people showing the symptoms described above and keep your distance if possible. Wear a mask if you can.
- Wash hands often and/or use hand sanitizer.
- Disinfect high-touch surfaces like handrails, doorknobs, desks, keyboards, etc. using EPA-certified disinfecting products.
- Disinfect the air using technology like bi-polar air ionization, which is highly effective against enveloped viruses, like measles and can actively disinfect airborne measles and protect against airborne spread.
Click here to learn more from the CDC.