North Carolina health authorities are warning residents after the state confirmed its first measles case of 2025. The case involves a child who had recently traveled internationally and visited Forsyth and Guilford Counties following exposure to multiple outbreaks abroad.
Dr. Jennifer Mullendore, Buncombe County’s health director, spoke with News 13 about the severity of the disease.
”One out of every 1,000 people diagnosed with measles won’t survive,” she said. She explained that symptoms typically begin with a high fever and runny nose, followed by a rash that usually starts on the face before spreading across the body.
Dr. Mullendore also highlighted some of the long-term dangers of the virus.
“Some people develop deadly symptoms years after they’ve been diagnosed,” she said, referencing potential neurologic complications. Another possible outcome, she noted, is a condition where the immune system becomes so compromised that it loses its ability to fight off other infections.
Measles is highly contagious, especially among the unvaccinated.
“Let’s say that one person is in a room with 10 other people who are not immune, who are not vaccinated, nine out of those 10 are going to get infected and can get measles, that’s how contagious this is,” Dr. Mullendore explained.
Her recommendation: get vaccinated and maintain a record of your immunizations. “It’s important to keep a record of that vaccine just in case you’re traced back to a recent infection or outbreak,” she said.
For more information on measles and vaccinations, visit your local health department’s website.
