Measles outbreak in Garden State

[Ruben Donis]

        NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) -- A measles outbreak at Rutgers
University forced that state to declare a state of emergency at the
school in order to vaccinate 40,000 students, faculty and staff.
        More than 20 suspected cases of measles involving Rutgers
students have been reported, and three have been confirmed by the
state, officials said. The first case may have occurred in late
January, said Dr. Clifford Freund, director of communicable disease
control services for the state Department of Health.
        Starting Monday, the health department will provide free
vaccinations to everyone at Rutgers' main campuses in New Brunswick
and a branch campus in Piscataway, said health department spokesman
Bernard Edelman.
        Freund said the Rutgers outbreak was the first at a U.S. college
since 1991; he was not sure where the 1991 outbreak took place.
There have been five major outbreaks in New Jersey over the past
seven years that affected about 3,400 people, he said.
        The state of emergency does not affect the communities
surrounding the Rutgers campuses, Freund said. However, the
Middlesex County health department was setting up additional
immunization clinics for people who live around New Brunswick.
        Measles' incubation period usually lasts between 10 and 14 days,
Freund said. Its onset is generally marked by coughing, a fever of
above 102 degrees, runny nose, watery eyes, and conjunctivitis,
which is commonly known as pink eye. Those symptoms are usually
followed by a rash of spots on the face, back and chest.
        Measles is rarely fatal, but can be for someone already
seriously ill, Freund said. It usually goes away by itself.
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Dr. Ruben Donis                                                 
Dept. of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences  
202 VBS
University of Nebraska,                                                  
Lincoln, NE 68583-0905                                   
Phone: 402-472-6063                                     
FAX to 402-472-9690                                     
E-mail RDONIS at UNL.EDU