Latest news with #RimmaBondarenko
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Mexico health officials: Measles sample detected in Roswell wastewater testing
(Rimma Bondarenko/ Getty Images) New Mexico public health officials on Tuesday announced wastewater testing in Roswell had identified a positive sample for measles. A state health department news release said the June 3 sample result will not impact the number of cases in the state, which requires a diagnosis and often a laboratory confirmation of a sample taken from a person. The sample comes as part of a wastewater testing initiative NMDOH undertook starting in mid-March, conducting weekly wastewater measles testing in Albuquerque/Bernalillo County, Carlsbad, Chaparral, Deming, Las Cruces, Portales, Rincon, Rio Rancho, Roswell, Santa Fe and the South Central treatment plant in Doña Ana County. In an interview with Source NM, NMDOH Medical Epidemiologist Dr. Daniel Sosin said the agency is partnering with researchers at Rice University in Houston Texas for that testing. The wastewater results have limits, and don't reveal when, where or even how many people might have measles. But they do provide warning. In this case, the positive result from Roswell indicates more cases might be coming in Chaves County, NMDOH says. Chaves County 's last measles case was recorded on April 5. As of Tuesday, New Mexico measles infections remain unchanged at 81 cases. Sosin said the wastewater testing program augments the department's strategies for increasing vaccine availability and contract-tracing known cases, and likened the approach to layers of Swiss cheese. 'If you have enough slices, you cover the holes so cases don't slip through,' Sosin said. 'Wastewater is one more layer that helps us monitor for a condition that we don't expect to see in all parts of the state, but could see and want early recognition for.' Sosin said measles wastewater testing is better for early detection or asymptomatic spread, and those detections could mean putting area doctors on alert for additional cases. The major limitation of wastewater surveillance, he said, is the tool is only precise for a general picture and cannot be narrowed further. 'We can't follow up for contact tracing or notifications to reduce ongoing transmission,' Sosin said. 'It's really more of an indicator that [measles] is there and we should be watching more carefully for it.' Sosin said the best guidance to the public remains the recommendation to get two doses of the vaccine to prevent contracting and spreading the measles. The state says since Feb. 1, 34,210 New Mexicans have received MMR shots. Measles symptoms can appear one to three weeks after contact with airborne droplets from an infected person's coughs or sneezes. They include fever, cough, red eyes usually followed by a spotted red rash spreading from the head to the body. Measles can be spread in days before and after symptoms emerge. NMDOH urges any people with symptoms to stay at home and contact the NMDOH Helpline at 1-833-796-8773 for further questions about testing, vaccines or treatment. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
By the #s: Where measles has made it in New Mexico
(Rimma Bondarenko/ Getty Images) A measles case was confirmed this week in the sixth New Mexico county this week, populous Sandoval County — much farther north than previous cases. State health officials alerted the public that they could have been exposed to the virus at a Trader Joe's in Albuquerque, along with a big medical center in Rio Rancho. As of Friday, there are 74 confirmed cases across New Mexico, state health officials told Source New Mexico. In addition to providing daily updates on the virus' spread, health officials also provide dates, times and locations where people may have been exposed, along with a list of places where people can walk in to receive vaccines. Read all of Source's measles coverage here. Infected people have been in a Denny's in Hobbs, a school gym in Lovington, a preschool in Las Cruces and various medical clinics in southern and northern New Mexico in recent months. Measles symptoms begin with a cough, runny nose and eye redness, before progressing to fever and rash that starts at the head before moving down the body. Health officials advise that people who have measles can infect others from four days before the rash appears and remain contagious four days after the rash is gone. In addition to Sandoval County, New Mexico has now seen confirmed cases in Chaves, Curry, Doña Ana, Eddy and Lea counties. Currently, more than 1,000 measles cases have been reported nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The health department encourages people with symptoms who have been exposed to measles to call NMDOH Helpline at 1-833-SWNURSE (1-833-796-8773) for guidance in English and Spanish. If planning to see a doctor or visit an emergency room, call first so health care providers can plan for a visit by someone who may have measles. See a map below showing statewide exposure sites, along with vaccine clinic sites and other information:
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Measles spreads to sixth New Mexico county
(Rimma Bondarenko/ Getty Images) The New Mexico health department on Thursday reported the first cases of measles in Sandoval County, the sixth county where the highly contagious disease has been detected. The two new cases included an adult of unknown vaccination status and an unvaccinated child under the age of four. Presbyterian Rust Hospital Emergency Department (2400 Unser Boulevard SE in Rio Rancho): Wednesday, April 30 from noon – 5:30 p.m. Sunday, May 11 from 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Presbyterian Rust Medical Center Hematology/Oncology Clinic, 2400 Unser Boulevard SE in Rio Rancho: Thursday, May 1 from 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Trader Joe's grocery store (8928 Holly Ave. NE in Albuquerque): Tuesday, May 6 from 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Ribs Hickory Pit BBQ (12220 NM-14 in Cedar Crest) Saturday, May 10 from noon – 3 p.m. DOH also reported several locations, days and times during which residents may have been exposed to measles. 'If you have been exposed to measles and are vaccinated, your risk of getting sick is low,' NMDOH Chief Medical Officer Dr. Miranda Durham said in a statement. 'Watch for symptoms but know that the vaccine is very good at preventing measles.' Measles symptoms begin with a cough, runny nose and eye redness, before progressing to fever and rash that starts at the head before moving down the body. Health officials advise that people who have measles can infect others from four days before the rash appears and remain contagious four days after the rash is gone. With the new cases in Sandoval County, New Mexico now amassed 73 cases, with others in: Chaves, Curry, Doña Ana, Eddy and Lea counties. Currently, more than 1,000 measles cases have been reported nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The health department encourage people with symptoms who have been exposed to measles to call NMDOH Helpline at 1-833-SWNURSE (1-833-796-8773) for guidance in English and Spanish. If planning to see a doctor or visit an emergency room, call first so health care providers can plan for a visit by someone who may have measles. Lastly, the Sandoval County Public Health Office (1500 Idalia Road NE in Bernalillo) offers the measles, mumps, rubella vaccination with no appointment necessary from 8:30 a.m to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays – Thursdays. For more information call (505) 867-2291, extension 1707. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
