Mid-Michigan officials are investigating a new potential case of measles involving an Eaton County child and trying to determine whether others were exposed.
The Barry-Eaton District Health Department says the investigation involves two restaurants where the disease may have been spread, according to spokesperson Emily Smale.
“The first location was on April 12 at King Ocean Crab, which is a restaurant in Lansing. And that was from anyone that was there could potentially be exposed from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.,” Smale said.
The second location is Bad Brads BBQ in Orion Township, where people may have been exposed on April 13 between 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Smale says there have been seven confirmed cases of measles in Michigan in recent weeks. One of those cases involved an Ingham County child who had been vaccinated but had not yet developed immunity. There is also a confirmed outbreak in Montcalm County with at least three connected cases. That's the state's first measles outbreak since 2019.
Smale says anyone born after 1957 should receive a measles vaccination, even if they had one as a child.
“The current recommendation is to get two doses,” Smale said. “The first dose at 12 to 15 months old, and then the second dose at four to six years old. But you can receive that dose at any time as an adolescent or an adult if you weren't vaccinated as a child.”
She recommends people in doubt about their vaccination status check with their health care provider.
“They can do blood work and check titer levels to see if you still have immunity to measles and whether you would need another dose of the vaccine or not,” Smale said.
A titer level, or antibody titer, refers to the concentration of a specific antibody in a blood sample.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.