NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A preventable illness has returned to Tennessee.

Tennessee health officials are raising the alarm after confirming a case of measles in the Nashville area — the state's first since 2005 — and warned that falling vaccination rates could open the door for more.

Measles is not the mild childhood memory some imagine. It begins with fever, red eyes and a dry cough, and then moves quickly to a rash that can cover the body. It can lead to pneumonia, ear infections and even swelling of the brain.

"Measles is a very nasty virus," Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious-disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, said. "Before we had the measles vaccine in the United States, every year 400 to 500 children died of measles and its complications."

The Tennessee Department of Health reports that kindergarten vaccination rates have fallen to 92.3%, the fourth straight year of decline. The state's goal is 95%, high enough to stop the virus from spreading. Religious exemptions, once rare, have climbed 3.5%, which is more than double what they were in 2020.

Dr. Schaffner said the math is simple.

"Measles will spread if there are unvaccinated, susceptible children or adults nearby," he said. "If everyone else around them is vaccinated, the virus can't go anywhere."

The Metro Public Health Department urges anyone who has not received the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine to do so.

If affected, clinic information is listed here:

• East Nashville Public Health Center, 1015 East Trinity Lane, (615) 862-7916
• Lentz Public Health Center, 2500 Charlotte Avenue, (615) 340-5607
• Woodbine Public Health Center, 224 Oriel Avenue, (615) 862-7940

Walk-ins are accepted until 2:30 p.m. and appointments can be made at the following clinics listed above.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/tennessees-falling-vaccination-rates-spark-concern-after-nashville-measles-case/