The Wyoming Department of Health [WDH] is reminding people of the importance of being vaccinated against measles in light of an increase in measles cases across the country.

But the department also says that there is no need for people to get booster shots or extra vaccine doses right now. While there has not been a reported case of measles in the Cowboy State since 2010, over 700 cases of measles have been confirmed across the country this year, the most since 1994.

Most of the people infected with the disease were unvaccinated.

WDH state health officer Dr. Alexa Harrist said: "Measles should be taken seriously because it can sometimes lead to pneumonia, swelling of the brain known as encephalitis, and death."

She said measles usually starts out with fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes and sore throat, followed by a rash that spreads over the body

 

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