Oakland, Wayne County measles cases range from 11 to 63 years old

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has updated the confirmed count of measles in metro Detroit -- and it's going up.

By Wednesday Oakland County had 21 confirmed cases of measles and Wayne County has its first one. The range of individuals affected by measles is large with the oldest 63 years old, but the youngest is 11, which is causing some panic with mothers.

"One of the pediatricians at our practice was recommending early vaccinations," said Linda Varner. "A few months ago I asked about this and they weren't doing it, but now that it is an official outbreak, they are recommending early vaccinations."

And the Michigan Health Department is working with health departments in Oakland and Wayne County to identify possible exposure locations. People are seeing doctors for measle check ups. 

"I just came from the doctor's office and had some blood work done to see if I am immune," said Esther. "Because I care for an elderly mother and I want to be safe."

Esther checked out okay, but she's going to get the measles vaccine anyway.  

The people at one of the exposure locations, Oak Park's Jerusalem Pizza did not want to go on camera. But some of them said that they did get precautionary vaccines. They say they've been checked out and everything is okay.

"I'm sure the CDC is probably starting up an investigation on who has been exposed and contacting people," said Dr. Matthew Sims, Beaumont. 

To view the full list of confirmed exposure locations, visit www.oakgov.com/health.

Best advice, it's obvious if you think you've been exposed to measles, see your doctor. 

Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease that is spread by direct person-to-person contact, and through the air. The virus can live for up to two hours in the air where the infected person was present. Symptoms of measles usually begin 7-14 days after exposure, but can appear up to 21 days after exposure and may include:

High fever (may spike to over 104˚F)
Cough
Runny nose
Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis)
Tiny white spots on the inner cheeks, gums, and roof of the mouth (Koplik Spots) 2-3 days after symptoms begin
A rash that is red, raised, blotchy; usually starts on face, spreads to trunk, arms, and legs 3-5 days after symptoms begin

For more information about measles, visit www.oakgov.com/health or call Nurse on Call at 800-848- 5533, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. For up-to-date public health information, follow @publichealthOC on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.