The measles virus is a highly contagious disease spreading across parts of the United States, leaving many to wonder which town will be affected next and how badly.

Experts on the virus on SUNY Oswego’s campus believe that the chances of the town being the next epicenter of the virus are low, but never zero. 

The measles virus is an airborne virus that is very easily transmitted through coughing or sneezing. Measles is considered the most contagious virus because of how it is transmitted from person to person.

“ If an infected person sneezes, they emit viral particles that cling in the air and remain there for up to a couple of hours after that infected person leaves,” Kaitlin Fisher, an assistant professor in the biology department, said. “ The measles virus will target certain receptors on a person’s cells and infect those cells and then that person will then be infected.”

Knowing how a virus spreads is the first step to protecting citizens from contracting the disease. On campus, the likelihood of an outbreak is very low because of the requirement to be vaccinated.

“ Every student that has an on-campus presence has to show proof of measles, mumps and rubella vaccination.” Angie Brown, the director of Student Health Services, said. “So our vaccination rate is extremely high because we have to follow the public health law for that.” 

Another reason the measles virus can be so dangerous and contagious is because of the side effects that come with contraction.

The measles virus causes “immune amnesia,” Fisher said, which causes the body to forget the immunity it has built up over time for other infections and viruses. This would cause an infected person to be more susceptible to new viruses like pneumonia entering the body, creating a longer and more difficult recovery time. 

Immune amnesia is caused because the measles virus specifically attacks the immune cells.

“Not only do you have the measles virus, but any other bacteria or viruses around can now hop in and opportunistically infect you,” Fisher said. “The most serious consequences of measles is not the measles itself, it’s the bacterial and other viral infections that happen immediately or after measles.” 

Measles is contagious and the way to combat the infection is to get vaccinated against it. Oswego County has an 87.8% vaccination rate against measles. Compared to the rest of New York state, that is not terrible.

In the town of Oswego, the vaccination rate is about 90-100%, which is very good compared to other ZIP codes around the county, according to Fisher. In order to fully lessen the chance of an outbreak county-wide, Fisher said that the best chance is to reach herd-immunity status. 

“ The herd immunity rate [means] the more contagious a disease is the higher the threshold of immunization you need to prevent an outbreak,” Fisher said.

The herd immunity for measles is 93.75% of the population that needs to be vaccinated to stop an outbreak. This means that Oswego County has a good immunization record, but the chances of a measles outbreak occurring, although low, is still possible. 

Brown emphasizes the importance of getting vaccinated and said the Mary Walker Health Center gives free doses of the measles vaccine to students who may need them, especially international students from countries with different health laws.

Image from SELF Magazine.