UPDATE Posted Thursday, May 1

VIROQUA, Wis. (AP) -- Officials say a case of measles has been confirmed at Viroqua in western Wisconsin, and the Vernon County Health Department will be offering immunizations.

Department director Beth Johnson said Wednesday that information is being sent to area schools, and more information will be released later.

Measles, or Rubeola, is a respiratory viral infection that is highly contagious and characterized by a rash, cough, runny nose, red eyes and high fever.

The Milwaukee area has had six confirmed cases of measles and two confirmed cases of rubella, or German measles, in recent weeks.

Rubella, also a respiratory viral infection, is a mild disease in adults and children but extremely dangerous to women who are pregnant because of its effects on the fetus.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATE Posted Thursday, April 24 --- 12:30pm

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin health officials have confirmed two more cases of the measles.

The Department of Health and Family Services had listed one case in Racine County and one in Walworth County as probable, but spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis says laboratory tests have now confirmed they are measles.

That brings the state total to six, with three cases in Milwaukee County and one each in Racine, Walworth and Waukesha counties.

Marquis says in an e-mail that one case of rubella also has been confirmed in Waukesha county.

She says all the infected people have recovered and are no longer showing symptoms, but the state still recommends people get vaccinated.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Tuesday, April 15 --- 12:05pm

RACINE, Wis. (AP) -- Racine officials say they have confirmed a new case of the measles at a city elementary school.

The city health department told the Racine Unified School District late Monday that a fifth-grade student at SC Johnson Elementary School had tested positive for the disease.

School district spokeswoman Stephanie Kratochvil-Hayden says school officials are waiting for directions from health officials but want to get the word out to parents and staff. She says there are no plans to close the school.

School officials say they do not know whether the infected student had been vaccinated against the disease.

Four cases of the measles were confirmed earlier this month in the Milwaukee area. Until then, Wisconsin had seen no cases of measles since 2005.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Thursday, April 10 --- 6:00pm

Two new cases of measles have been confirmed in the Milwaukee area. That brings the total in the state to four.

The Wisconsin Immunization Program says a 5-month old and a 12-month old recently contracted the disease from a 23-month-old at a Greenfield daycare.

A 37-year-old man from Milwaukee also has been infected, but his case not been connected with the children.

Physicians, health departments, infection control practitioners and tribal health centers around the state have been alerted.

Wisconsin normally only sees about two cases of measles a year. So, this latest outbreak is a cause for some concern.

First it was a toddler from Franklin at a day cay center and then a grown man. Now, Health officials are warning of an expanding Measles outbreak in the Milwaukee area.

Said Milwaukee Health Commissioner Bevan Baker, "We are quickly trying to do the contact history of the man to see who may have been exposed to make certain we can get upstream of this outbreak."

"The measles is a virus that is actually one of the most infectious organism known to man," stated UW Hospital's Doctor James Conway, who also says this outbreak is not something to take lightly.

"I am terribly alarmed by it," he said. "Although the death rates may not be as high for other types of infection. It is a horrible, horrible
disease to watch people go through."

Of the 30 million cases of measles globally most occur in children and about 1 in 100 die. In American that number is 3 in 1000. Early symptoms of the measles include flu like illness with fever, red eyes, and severe cough. As the disease progresses a sever lung infection develops with a bodily rash. It can spread into other organs and can cause life long brain damage. Plus, when you get it there is nothing doctors can do, but wait.

Added Conway, "The only thing we can offer is that we can fully protect you from being at risk for this by immunizing your children and everyone making sure they are fully immunized."

But lately people have been choosing not to get immunized. In Milwaukee for example, only about 70 percent of children are immunized as compared to about 85 percent in the rest of the state.

"It is largely because we are a victim of our own success. In this country people have stopped valuing vaccines because they have forgotten about the disease," stated Conway. "We have a lot of vaccine preventable diseases in the United States. We vaccinate and get rid of a lot of those. But, those diseases are going to start to come back if we stop. And that is what we have seen happen."

The last major outbreak in Wisconsin was in 1989 and 1990, when more than 1,600 people contracted measles and five died. It was part of a national outbreak.

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UPDATED Thursday, April 10 --- 2:10pm

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Two new cases of measles have been confirmed in the Milwaukee area, bringing the total to four.

Wisconsin Immunization Program director Dan Hopfensperger says a 5-month old and a 12-month old recently contracted the disease from a 23-month-old at a Greenfield daycare.

A 37-year-old man from Milwaukee also has been infected, but his case not been connected with the children.

Hopfensperger says the program is alerting physicians, health departments, infection control practitioners and tribal health centers around the state.

He says measles are rare, with no more than one or two cases reported each year in Wisconsin since 2000. The last major outbreak in Wisconsin was in 1989 and 1990, when more than 1,600 people contracted measles and five died. It was part of a national outbreak.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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Posted Thursday, April 10 --- 1:40pm

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A second case of measles has been confirmed in the Milwaukee area.

The news came as 12 children have already been quarantined after coming in contact with a toddler who has measles.

Health officials told the parents of the dozen children to keep them at home until April 18th to prevent measles from spreading.

The children attend Kingdom Care Child Center, as does the 23-month-old child from Franklin who has measles.

Milwaukee Health Commissioner Bevan Baker says the new case involves a Milwaukee man who developed measles-like symptoms, went to the doctor and had the diagnosis confirmed.

His symptoms started before those of the 23-month-old girl who recently became ill.

Authorities are investigating whether the two cases are related.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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Posted Wednesday, April 9 --- 1:00pm

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Twelve children in the Milwaukee area have been quarantined after coming in contact with a toddler who has measles.

Health officials told the parents of the dozen children to keep them at home until April 18th to prevent measles from spreading.

The children attend Kingdom Care Child Center, as does the 23-month-old child from Franklin who has measles.

Health officials don't know how the child contracted the measles, but say it's the only known case so far.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.