Measles
Benton County Public Health offers the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine at no cost to all individuals over 1 year of age; to schedule an appointment, please call our office at (319) 214-2601.
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on on current reported measles cases in Iowa; data will be updated weekly on Thursdays. All data is preliminary and subject to change.
Measles is a very contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Measles starts with a cough, runny nose, red eyes, and fever; then, a rash of red bumps and flat spots breaks out. It starts at the hairline, and spreads to the rest of the body. Measles is one of the most contagious infections known to exist, and people can spread measles for several days before they get the rash until several days after the rash develops.
Before the measles vaccination program started in 1963, an estimated 3 to 4 million people were infected with measles each year in the United States. Since then, widespread use of measles virus-containing vaccine has led to a greater than 99% reduction in measles cases compared with the pre-vaccine era. Measles is reportable to Iowa HHS by Iowa Administrative Code 641.
