With reports of measles cases rising all over the country and resulting in two deaths, Marin County is urging people to get vaccinated regardless if they had contracted it or they never had it as a child.

The Marin County Department of Health and Human Services has reported five cases of measles in California, as of March 11. As of March 14, over 300 cases of measles have been reported nationally, and at least one child has died. One of the biggest outbreaks was among unvaccinated children in Texas, the Association of Bay Area Health Officials said.  

Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air by respiratory droplets produced from coughing or sneezing. It can cause serious illness or death but is easily avoidable with a vaccination.  

Everyone with a child at home between 12 months to 3 years of age is urged to make sure the child is vaccinated with one dose of the MMR vaccine, or the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Health officials in Marin County said that children ages 4 and over should be vaccinated with two doses of it. The double dose is 97% effective in preventing measles, according to the American Medical Association. 

The measles virus can linger in indoor air for several hours. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis, and the appearance of a rash. About 20% of those who are unvaccinated who get measles will end up hospitalized, and nearly one to three of every 1,000 children who become infected will die from respiratory and neurologic complications, according to the U.S. Centers For Disease Control.  

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.