Get vaccinated for measles before traveling this holiday

The time for holiday travel is here, and the Barry-Eaton District Health Department wants to remind everyone to protect their family from measles before they take off.

The measles virus is rare, however, in Michigan there have been 15 cases of measles this year. That is the highest number of cases in 24 years.

Each case was linked to someone who had traveled internationally and 10 of the 15 cases were people that were not vaccinated against measles, according to the BEDHD.

Measles can spread through coughing and sneezing and it stays in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours.

You can get measles and not even know it for a couple of days until a rash appears, and during that time period you may have been spreading it to others.

The BEDHD says that symptoms include a high fever, red eyes, cough, and runny nose. "These symptoms are followed by a red, raised body rash."

Illness can result in hospitalization, pneumonia, swelling of the brain, and death. Before vaccination was available, up to 500 people used to die every year in the United States due to measles.