JASPER COUNTY, GA — Five new measles cases have been confirmed in Georgia.
According to Georgia Department of Public Health officials, members of the same family in Jasper County have been impacted.
The siblings were either unvaccinated or under-vaccinated, Georgia Department of Public Health officials said.
At least one of them has a history of traveling out of state.
These cases are not related to the earlier outbreak in Cobb County, health officials said.
According to Georgia Department of Public Health officials, “measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The measles virus can stay in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person has left the room. Measles is highly contagious, but the MMR vaccine can prevent it.”
DPH officials say they are working to identify individuals who may have been exposed to measles through contact with the infected individuals.
Georgia now has 21 confirmed measles cases so far this year.