The public health authority in Macau has called on parents in the city to have their children vaccinated, after the third imported case of measles infection of 2018 was confirmed.
The patient involved is a Filipino worker, who developed symptoms including fever and cough as well as skin rash all over his face and body since December 20 and was admitted into the Conde S Januário Hospital three days later.
His travel history included a 10-day trip back to his home country at the beginning of the month, according to Macau Daily News.
The 35-year-old man tested positive for measles viruses, specifically IgM and IgG, on Sunday and remained stable without severe medical complications in an isolation ward. His family members are asymptomatic so far.
Once a person has become infected, no specific treatment is available, but supportive care may improve outcomes.
Macau’s Health Bureau is now monitoring the condition of those who may have had close contact with the patient, including others who were inside the same ward and waiting area as well as their colleagues and family members.
Measles is an airborne, highly contagious disease caused by viruses, and it spreads easily through the coughs and sneezes of infected people. Symptoms usually develop 10-12 days after exposure to an infected person and last seven to 10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, cough, and runny nose as well as a red, flat rash that usually starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body.
About 90% of people are not immune but most people do not get the disease more than once. Measles vaccination is effective in preventing the disease.