ATLANTA — Three people have been diagnosed with measles in metro Atlanta. Two of the cases were confirmed on Jan. 13 and a third case was confirmed on Saturday.
All three people who became ill are part of the same family, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
The department said it has not received any reports of additional cases from outside the family.
These cases come as parts of the country are seeing a spike in measles, a highly contagious viral disease that is not common in the United States.
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In New York, health officials dealt with nearly 200 cases in 2018 while at least 36 people in Washington state and Oregon got sick with measles this month. Washington state declared a state of emergency last week.
The symptoms include a rash, a fever and flu-like symptoms. Doctors say the disease spreads so quickly because it can linger for hours after an infected person has left the room.
"Anywhere between 12 to 18 susceptible people can be infected from one case and then those 12 to 18 can spread it to 12 to 18 more," Dr. Frank Esper said.
Officials say the vast majority of people who have been infected are likely children of parents who decided not to have them vaccinated.
[RELATED: What is measles and how can you prevent it?]
Cox Media Group
