By Allison Maass
Murphy News Service

Students at the University of Minnesota might have many things to be stressed about, but measles is apparently not one of them.

“Gosh no, students are required to get vaccinated so there is no need to be worried about measles,” Eric Jensen, communications director for Boynton Health Services, said.

A university student was diagnosed with the disease last week after returning from traveling internationally. The student attended class and visited the Recreation and Wellness Center while contagious, and all students who were known to have come in contact with the student have been notified, Jensen said.

Measles is spread through sneezing and coughing. Many times people spreading the disease do not know they are sick, Dr. Hank Balfour, a pediatrics and laboratory medicine and pathology professor at the U, said.

“People could be spreading it and now know they have it,” Balfour said.

Symptoms of measles include high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A rash appears on the face that spreads to the rest of the body within three to five days after symptoms appear.

“There is no specific treatment, and it is not a nice disease,” Balfour said.

There are three categories of people who could be in danger of contracting the disease, which includes children less than 12 months, pregnant women not vaccinated and those with other health conditions that could compromise their immunization. Most students at the university are not likely to be in any of these categories, Jensen said.

Jensen and Balfour agree that the best way to prevent getting measles is to be vaccinated. Only 3 percent of people who have received two doses of the vaccine will get the disease if exposed, CDC reports.

“There is a lot of hype that the vaccination is bad for you, but that is an unfortunate mind set,” Balfour said.

The measles vaccine is considered a safe and effective way to prevent the illness. It is rare for children to have side effects, such as a fever or rash, and there is no link between the measles vaccine and autism, according to the CDC.

Balfour said if students are not sure if they have received the measles vaccination, they can receive one. He said it does not hurt to be vaccinated twice.

Reporter Allison Maass is a studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.