State health officials are working to identify notify the people this patient may have come in contact with to prevent the spread of the virus.
The patient, who traveled from the U.K. to New Orleans the week of April 1, was hospitalized over the weekend and tested positive for measles.
“Measles is extremely rare in the U.S. because almost all children are vaccinated before they enter school,” said Jimmy Guidry, MD, state health officer of Louisiana and LDH’s medical director. “Nonetheless, we take measles very seriously and will take all steps to alert the public and give them the information to best protect themselves. Our epidemiologists are working to learn where the individual has traveled, and where he has visited since landing in New Orleans to try and determine if other people may have been exposed.”
Any person experiencing symptoms, which typically start with a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes followed by a rash that begins as flat red spots, should isolate themselves as much as possible and contact their primary care physician immediately, health officials said.
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