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Wash your hands: update on measles advisory

With the start of a new semester, as students go back to their busy lifestyles and living in close quarters, the Stevens community was sent an advisory in regards to an individual case of measles in Hudson County earlier this week.

“The case that I warned about was in Hudson County, he’s in recovery,” states Maggie Cunning, Director of the Student Health Center. “He’s going to be fine. We believe in transparency, so if we have a situation, we’re going to let everybody know. ”

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that causes, primarily, a high fever and a rash. Symptoms of measles also include cough, runny nose, and watery, red eyes. Measles virus resides in the nose, throat, and mucus of the infected individual. When this person talks, coughs, or sneezes, droplets are released in the air. The infection will remain contagious on surfaces and in the air for up to two hours.

It is said that the infected individual had recently traveled internationally; fortunately, he was not contagious for the duration of the flight. The time of exposure to appearance of first symptoms, also known as the incubation period, is 10-14 days. The lifetime of the disease is up to 21 days. For this reason, the date range and whereabouts of the individual post-incubation period, when the disease is contagious, has been listed by local news outlets for the community to stay aware.

“If you were exposed to him at any point, the potential exists to come down with the disease is up to February 14th.  Now last night on the news, you may have heard there’s a baby in Passaic county diagnosed with measles,” adds Cunning. “But it’s unrelated, there’s no link. We’re currently dealing with … waning immunity.”

Waning immunity is the progressive loss of protective antibodies against an antigen or disease. While antibodies, acquired through vaccination or through overcoming the disease, protect and vary from individual, it can lose efficiency through the passage of time.

“While you may be considered immune, it may not be strong immunity. When it comes to measles, a disease you really don’t want to have, the best recommendation is that people know what their immunity level is. And there is a test for that!” advises Cunning. Vaccine titer tests (pronounced with long ‘i’) measure the presence of antibodies in an individual’s blood sample. If a titer is positive, it may be used to prove immunity to disease, or to prove a booster is necessary. Although this is a highly informative test, be wary that most insurances consider it to be an elective test, and may not provide full coverage.

Proper precautions which one should take against any illnesses is following the “old-fashion way”: cover one’s mouth when one coughs or sneezes, dispose of tissues properly, and most important,  wash hands with soap and water.

“You may have heard recently about the Norovirus,” states Cunning. Noroviruses are groups of viruses that cause inflammation of the stomach and large intestine lining. The virus may prolong irritation and inflammation for up to eight hours, but after that, it is out of the system. “Norovirus is the kind of thing that infects a whole resort, or a whole cruise ship. That virus cannot be killed by an alcohol based hand sanitizer. Not everybody know that! Purell is not always the answer.”

Hand sanitizer is a great supplement, not a replacement, to old fashion hand washing for everyday disinfecting. The message that could not be repeated enough- wash hands frequently!

Another precaution that helps not only the patient, but the healthcare provider and one’s community, is calling ahead prior to visiting the office. By doing so, the healthcare provider is able to make special arrangements to be evaluated without putting other patients and staff at risk.

If you have noticed suspecting symptoms, or have any questions, the Student Health Center is located on the first floor of Jacobus Hall, open to all students and staff on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 9 am until 4 pm. The Center is open for extended hours Thursdays, 9 am to 7 pm.

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