RAPID CITY — The first case of measles in South Dakota in nine years was reported Thursday, July 19 by the state's Department of Health. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause health complications, especially in children younger than 5 years old. The case was found in a Pennington County adult who traveled internationally and tested positive at Monument Health in Rapid City this month.
The patient could have exposed people at the Black Hills Urgent Care from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.
m. on July 9 and the Monument Health Rapid City Emergency Department waiting room from 5 p.m.
to 12 a.m. on July 12, the Department of Health said.
“Measles is a highly contagious viral disease and spreads through the air when an infected individual coughs or sneezes,” said Dr. Joshua Clayton, state epidemiologist, in a news release on Thursday, July 18. “Individuals who have not been fully immunized with two doses of measles vaccine have an increased risk of infection if they have contact with an infected person.
” The measles vaccine is typically given to children between 12 and 15 months old, with the second dose given at 4 to 6 years old. Two measles shots usually produce lifelong immunity, according to the news release. The last time a measles case was reported in South Dakota was in January 2015, when there was an outbreak of 13 cases in the Mitchell area and one case in an unvaccinated Sioux Falls 10-year-old.
Aside from an unvaccinated child younger than 5 years old .