Possible measles cases upped to four

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Two cases of measles in Hamilton County have been confirmed by the State who suspects there may be two more in Boone County. And one of those patients from Hamilton County was in the Super Bowl Village on Friday. The combination of 200,000 tightly-packed people and a highly contagious infection is sparking plenty of worry.

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It was after Friday's festivities at the Super Bowl Village, that a patient from Hamilton County went to the doctor feeling sick. That Doctor, says State Health Commissioner Dr. Gregory Larkin, took the right steps.

"He or she was a very good clinician. Was suspicious of the symptoms, took the blood tests and sent them off to the lab to be verified, they were verified and we were notified," Larkin said.

Dr. Larkin says an investigation by an epidemiology team found that the person with measles did not go inside, but stayed outside at the village. And that he says is good news.

"When you're outdoors with the wind blowing and so forth it's a less contagious atmosphere," says Larkin.

If you get measles, symptoms will show up within the week says Dr. Larkin. Those symptoms include a fever, usually high as much as 105 degrees, runny nose, red eyes and a respiratory infection. But Larkin says you're odds of getting the disease is very very small, even if you were standing right next to the person with measles, as long as you had at least one measles shot. "It's unlikely you'll need any additional protection. However if there's a concern with either you or your physician they can do blood test to confirm your protection," he says.

If you were born before 1957 you have natural immunity because you either got measles or were exposed to someone who had the disease. Born after that, odds are strong you were immunized against the disease as a child and still have immunity. "It's 99 at least percent effective. Immunization is conferred lifetime through a series of childhood vaccines," says Larkin.

If you don't know if you were immunized, or you can't contact your childhood doctor, don't worry. You can contact your current physician who can check the state immunization data base, known as CHIRP, and find out your immunization records.

Because so many out of state visitors were in town at the time, the Centers for Disease Control has been notified of the Indiana measles cases.