BROOKINGS For the second straight year, measles has arrived in South Dakota. The state health department announced Monday that a Meade County adult had tested positive.
We did have a case in 2024, and that was a case that had travelled internationally, Joshua Clayton, state epidemiologist, said. For 2025, we have reported our first case of measles, and its a very similar circumstance where an individual had traveled internationally, returned to South Dakota and then developed a measles infection.
Measles is a viral, respiratory disease usually accompanied by a blotchy skin rash.
About 20% of measles cases will require hospitalization, Clayton said. We do see that serious complications tend to occur in children who are less than 5 years of age. Just in general, about one in 20 children may go on to develop pneumonia, and up to three persons in 1,000 cases can die from the infection. That has borne out in the data that were seeing nationally. Thereve been just a little bit over 1,000 measles cases, and there have been three deaths already.
In 2000, the World Health Organization said measles had been eliminated in the United States. However in 2019, more than 1,200 cases were reported across 30 states. The CDC said 89% of those were in unvaccinated patients or those with unknown vaccination statuses.
(A vaccine dose) is 93% effective at preventing measles, Clayton said. If you get that second dose, it bumps to 97% effective at preventing measles. We know that the vaccine is the best way of preventing infection.
Despite that, vaccination rates have been falling.
The (measles) vaccination rate for the 2023-24 school year was 91% for South Dakota versus 93% for the United States, Clayton said. Our goal is to maintain at 95% or above, because thats whats really needed for community-level immunity where the introduction of measles will not result in secondary cases.
In South Dakota, measles vaccination is required for incoming kindergarteners unless they have a medical or religious exemption. A decade ago, six South Dakota counties had kindergartener vaccination rates below 95%. During the most recent school year, more than 40 South Dakota counties had rates lower than that including Brookings County at 90%.
Ashley Sands is a pediatric infectious disease physician at the Sanford Childrens Hospitalin Sioux Falls. She said vaccination is the best medicine for measles.
(Vaccination) is our only way of preventing the spread of measles, Sands said. It is our best and only medication. It is very safe and very effective. If a family has questions about specific things regarding the measles vaccine, this is a great time to bring those questions to your primary care physician so they can talk you through any concerns or hesitations.
She said the vaccine not only lowers the chances of getting sick but also reduces the severity of illnesses that still occur.
A measles infection in a vaccinated person is much more mild, Sands said. Symptoms are shorter. That person generally cannot spread the virus to other people. It eliminates a lot of the complications that we see with measles pneumonia, ear infection, diarrhea and the need for hospitalization.
She said measles spreads quickly.
Measles is the most contagious infection we know about, Sands said. In a room of 10 people who are not vaccinated, if one person with measles comes in, then nine of those people will get sick. Its so contagious because the respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing can linger in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours.
Those exposed to measles should watch for symptoms.
You would have a cough, runny nose, red watery eyes and a fever, Sands said. The fever is generally high 103 to 105 range. Usually about four days after those symptoms is when we get the characteristic rash. Its bright red, starts at the hairline and works its way down.
People should contact their clinic before coming in for testing.
Because its so contagious, they might have you wait in your car and call you when theyre ready, Sands said. If somebodys sitting in the waiting room with an active measles infection, anybody who comes into that room at the clinic for two hours after could potentially be infected.
She said people should ensure theyre vaccinated before summer vacations.
In the summer, it spreads because people are travelling, Sands said. Maybe theyre going aboard for a week or two now that school is out. Maybe theyre visiting Montana, North Dakota or Texas. Theyll go about their travel and get exposed there. I absolutely recommend reaching out to your primary care clinic, checking and making sure your vaccines are up to date.
Contact Jay Roe at [email protected].
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