As you may have heard recently, there has been a breakout of Measles reported in Ohio. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus. No positive cases have been identified in the East Holmes School district at this point. However, I thought it would be helpful to share information about what to watch for. If your child should develop symptoms please keep your child at home and seek medical care from a health care provider for further guidance.
Signs & Symptoms to Closely Watch For:
Fever
Red, watery eyes
Runny nose
Cough
Severe intolerance to light
A rash appearing on the face and spreading to the trunk and then extremities
Method of Transmission:
Measles spreads to others through coughing, sneezing and talking. Infected people can spread measles to others four days before through four days after the rash appears.
The measles virus can live for up to two hours in an airspace where the infected person coughed or sneezed. Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected.
Please see the back of this letter for additional information. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. I appreciate your help in keeping your child and others safe and healthy in the school setting.
Kind Regards,
Bobbi Freeman, BSN, RN
District School Nurse
bobbi.freeman@eastholmes.org
234.288.0044