A new case of measles in North Carolina has been confirmed in Rutherford County, state health officials announced Friday.
This raises the state's total to five cases since late December, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).
Anyone who may have been exposed has been notified, the NCDHHS said. Health officials have not identified a source of exposure for this case, suggesting the possibility of undetected measles cases within the state.
The four previous cases in North Carolina have been linked to an ongoing outbreak in South Carolina, where health officials have reported 99 new cases in the past three days.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that spreads through direct contact and the air, according to the NCDHHS. The virus can survive in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area.
Symptoms usually appear seven to 14 days after exposure and can include high fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis and a rash.
Health officials urge everyone aged one year or older to receive the measles vaccine. According to the NCDHHS, 90% of all unvaccinated individuals who are exposed to measles will become infected.
Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 2,000 confirmed measles cases across the country. Of these, 93% of those infected were unvaccinated.
STORY COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOS.