A University of Wisconsin-Madison student is recovering after seeking medical care for a confirmed case of measles, John Zumbrunnen, interim provost and vice chanceller, and Jake Baggott, executive director of University Health Services said in an email to all students Monday afternoon.
The officials warned that measles is highly contagious. They said those who are not vaccinated for measles are required to be quarantined for 21 days if they were exposed to the student during their infectious period.
The student lives in an apartment off-campus and visited several campus locations during their infectious period from Jan. 25 to Jan. 28, including the Brogden psychology building, the Waisman Center, the genetics building, Union South and Qdoba. All five campus locations are safe to attend at this time.
“We already directly notified about 4,000 people who may have been exposed,” Baggott said in a Monday press conference, noting that many of those notified were already vaccinated. He added that UHS estimates approximately 95% of students have the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
UHS asks members of the UW-Madison community to check their MMR vaccine status. Those vaccinated do not need to quarantine but should monitor for symptoms. Immunocompromised individuals should contact their healthcare provider and monitor for symptoms.
Kate Louther, deputy director of Public Health Madison & Dane County, recommended individuals who have not already received the vaccine reach out to their healthcare provider or the public health agency to set up a vaccination appointment in the press conference.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles, while 90% of the people around an infected person may also become infected if they are not vaccinated.
This follows the first case of measles in Wisconsin this year after an individual in Waukesha County tested positive last week. The UW case is related to international travel and not connected to the Waukesha County case, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Symptoms of measles start with a high fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. White spots in the mouth and full body rashes may appear afterwards. UHS says to not go to clinics or hospitals without informing a healthcare provider you may have measles.
UHS also encouraged campus community members to check their MMR vaccination status in the Wisconsin Immunization Registry for in-state residents or their state’s immunization website and update their vaccination status in myUHS to avoid a required 21-day quarantine if exposed.
UHS is currently working with Public Health Madison & Dane County and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services on this case.
The exposure dates and times are as follows:
Qdoba, 2 N Park Street
- Sunday, January 25 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Brogden Psychology Building, 1202 W. Johnson Street
- Monday, January 26 from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, January 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, January 28 from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Avenue
- Monday, January 26 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, January 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Genetics Building-Biotechnology Center Building, 425 Henry Mall
- Tuesday, January 27 from 10:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Union South, 1308 W. Dayton Street
- Tuesday, January 27, from 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Editor's Note: This story was updated at 5:36 p.m. on Feb. 2 to include information from a press conference.
