Federal health officials are renewing warnings about the growing number of measles cases across the country after New Orleans reported the third such instance this year during the largest nationwide outbreak of the virus in decades.

According to officials, the case is of an international visitor who was not fully vaccinated and was exposed to measles outside of the United States. The person is isolated and has received treatment. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say one of the main reasons behind high cases is to drop in vaccination – which doctors say is the best way to keep safe and free from potentially deadly diseases.

The measles vaccine – known as the Measles, mumps, rubella, or MMR vaccine makes you immune and unlikely ever to get the virus.

Measles is an extremely contagious disease that is spread through the air. The virus, which is mostly preventable through vaccination, was considered eliminated in the US more than 20 years ago but is on the rise in several states following a drop in vaccinations among children.

There have been more than 200 cases of measles this year around the country, including in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. That's more than triple the number of cases reported last year. Last December, there was a measles outbreak in Philadelphia linked to an unvaccinated baby who traveled internationally.

Federal health officials are renewing warnings about the growing number of cases and encouraging parents to get their children the recommended vaccination before school starts.

New CDC data shows that among children born between 1994 and 2023, about 500 million cases of illness were prevented, along with 32 million hospitalizations and over a million deaths - all avoided through routine childhood vaccinations.

In Louisiana, vaccination rates for childhood diseases are slipping with only 86 per cent of kindergarteners having complete vaccination records in the last school year, down from 90 per cent two years before.

According to experts, symptoms typically develop about 8-12 days after you are exposed to someone with measles. However, there have been times when it takes up to 21 days to develop symptoms after exposure. The most common measles symptoms include:

• High fever
• Tiredness and fatigue
• Cough
• Red and bloodshot eyes
• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• White spots in your mouth
• Muscle pain
• Light sensitivity

A few days after these symptoms begin, you will develop a red, blotchy rash that spreads from your face to the rest of your body. The rash itself lasts about seven to 10 days.

The rash starts as flat red spots on your face and then moves downward to cover your whole body. Then, smaller raised white spots may appear on top of the red rash. The spots might join together as the rash goes down your body.

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