Iowa given the all clear from April measles warning

We dodged a bullet, Iowans. 

The Iowa Department of Public Health has given the all clear after a measles warning was issued for the Des Moines metro in late April. 

There have been no confirmed cases of measles in Iowa since a patient from Missouri with the disease stopped at two metro restaurants on April 13 and April 16. It has now been long enough since the potential exposure that the state is no longer at risk from this incident. 

The incubation period for measles — from exposure to symptoms — can last up to 21 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The health department waits two incubation periods before giving the all clear, said Polly Carver-Kimm, communications director.

Measles is spread through the air and is considered one of the most infectious viruses around. There is no treatment for the illness, but it can be prevented through a vaccine.

Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and a red rash that starts on the face and moves to the rest of body. 

There have been 63 cases of measles nationwide from Jan. 1 to April 21, according to the CDC. In the Midwest, patients have been identified in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan and Missouri. 

More:

►Iowans have been exposed to measles. Here's what you should know about the contagious disease.

►Measles threat raises concern about unvaccinated Iowa kids; see vaccination rates by school

►'It was terrible': Iowan remembers having measles during one of the state's worst outbreaks

►Here's what restaurants (and other public places) should do after a known measles outbreak