Measles attack rate nearly 90%, warns Missouri doctor – KSDK
2025-04-23T23:38:00Z
The first confirmed case of measles in Missouri reported last week
The first confirmed case of measles in Missouri reported last week
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ST. LOUIS — Missouri’s first measles case was confirmed last week. A child tested positive in Taney County after international travel. There have been no cases reported in Illinois.
“Unfortunately we don’t have any treatment for measles,” reports SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Pediatric Infectious Disease Physician Dr. Zacharoula Oikonomopoulou, “Its attack rate is close to 90% and this is more than flu and COVID-19.”
Dr. Oikonomopoulou says most people don’t realize they or someone in their household has measles, “It’s going to present initially with cough that is usually dry, runny nose and watery red eyes.”
The initial symptoms of measles are generic. Dr. Oikonomopoulou says the tell-tale rash develops within three to five days, “(a) rash that is going to start from your head all the way to the bottom, accompanied by a very high fever up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.”
The sneaky start of measles is a likely contributor to its recent spread in the U.S. “It is important to know that you are contagious four days before to four days after the development of that rash,” explains Dr. Oikonomopoulou.
In 2025, three children have died in the United States. “Before these deaths were reported in 2025 and we have two confirmed deaths right now and one that likely was linked to measles, the most recent death was back in 2015,” reports Dr. Oikonomopoulou.
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