Visitors at the Indianapolis Children's Museum who watched the total solar eclipse on April 8 may have potentially been exposed to measles by an individual from out-of-state.

The risk to public health is minimal, according to the Marion County Public Health Department.

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The health department said symptoms should appear between Monday, April 22, and Monday, April 29, if infected at the museum, ABC News reported.

Common symptoms of the condition include fever, cough, a runny nose, red and watery eyes, small white spots in the mouth known as Koplick Spots, or a rash that begins at the hairline and gradually extends to other parts of the body. The rash appears as flat, red spots.

Individuals can transmit the infection from four days before the rash appears until about four to five days after.

The transmission of the infection occurs through water droplets that are expelled when an individual sneezes or coughs. These droplets can remain in the environment for up to two hours.

Measles is a highly contagious virus, although the majority of infections tend to be mild or moderate in severity.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an outbreak is defined as three or more cases.

Certain individuals, such as young children, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems, face an increased vulnerability to severe health complications. These can range from pneumonia and inflammation of the brain to the most tragic outcome.

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Measles Outbreak in Indiana

Measles is caused by a virus, so antibiotics are ineffective in treating it. Instead, treatment focuses on managing symptoms.

Getting the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine is crucial for protecting against the disease, and fortunately, it is widely accessible. In the 2022-2023 school year, Indiana had a vaccine coverage rate of 92 percent for kindergarteners.

According to KRAZ, the most recent case of measles in Indiana was reported in Lake County in February 2024. This marked the state's first case in five years. There have been no reported cases in Marion County so far this year.

According to official records, the United States has successfully eliminated measles since 2000, indicating that there is no longer any transmission of the virus within the country.

On the contrary, it is often brought back by travelers from abroad and spreads to unvaccinated individuals, resulting in outbreaks.

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