Oklahoma has confirmed its first measles case of the year.
As Oklahoma Watch reports, the Oklahoma State Department of Health confirmed last week that a case of measles has been discovered in Okmulgee County. This is the first confirmed case since May 2018. The measles patient has returned to Oklahoma after traveling domestically and internationally.
It’s not know whether the patient was ever vaccinated, thought the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the majority of people who have gotten measles in America recently were unvaccinated.
Nationwide, 839 measles cases have been confirmed in 23 states.
The disease is highly contagious, able to survive for up to two hours on a surface or in the air after an infected person has left the area. Oklahoma requires all kindergartners to be vaccinated for several diseases, including measles.