by Bill Baldowski | Neighbor Newspapers |
Douglas County Schools follow state law mandating vaccinations for measles, Douglas County School System spokesperson Karen Stroud said.
However, by law, parents can exempt students from the vaccinations if a signed affidavit is given stating the parents have a religious objection, she said.
“Our school system maintains a current list of students who have a religious exemption to the vaccination,” she said.
Stroud said about 1.4 percent of Douglas County School System’s 26,000 students are on the vaccination exemption list.
That percentage equals about 360 students.
Stroud said the Douglas County School System is prepared to respond and react to any type of measles outbreak, she said.
A third-grader in Forsyth County recently was reported to have contracted the fast-spreading disease before health officials confirmed it to be a false report.
“In matters relating to the health and welfare of our students, we will always follow the direction of the Cobb and Douglas public health department,” Stroud said. “However, if a case of measles does occur, the school system would immediately notify the health department and follow their guidelines.”
These guidelines include notifying parents of unvaccinated students with these students remaining at home until the situation is cleared by the health department, Stroud said.
“In addition, all parents of Douglas County Public School students would be provided information regarding measles and how the school district is responding.”
There has been one confirmed case of measles in Georgia thus far this year, though not in Douglas.
Rachel Franklin, director of epidemiology and health assessment with the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Cobb and Douglas area office, said the U.S. experienced the greatest number of cases, 668, last year since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000.
“It is for that reason that health care and public health providers must remain vigilant to prevent a widespread outbreak,” she said.
The onset of measles symptoms usually appear from seven to 14 days after a person is infected.
The usual symptoms include the development of a high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watering eyes.
“Two to three days after these symptoms appear, tiny white spots, called Koplik spots, may appear inside the mouth,” Franklin said.
“Three to five days after these symptoms begin, a rash will break out which usually starts as flat, red spots appearing on the face at the hairline and then spreading downward to the neck, chest, arms legs and feet.”