INDIANAPOLIS — Patriots fans who left this Super Bowl host city feeling good about Hoosier hospitality may have been exposed to something less welcome: the measles.
The Indiana State Department of Health alerted public health officials in Massachusetts and New York that some of their residents may have come in contact with the rare but highly contagious measles virus when visiting the crowded Super Bowl Village in downtown Indianapolis.
Indiana health officials reported four cases of the measles Wednesday, including one infected person who was at the open-air Super Bowl festival site last Friday during the afternoon and evening, when an estimated 200,000 were packed nearly nose-to-nose.
Among those in the Friday crowd were New Englanders and New Yorkers who traveled to Indianapolis before last Sunday's game, many arriving early because many Indianapolis hotels catering to the Super Bowl crowd required a four-night minimum stay.
Indiana Health Commissioner Dr. Gregory Larkin said chances are "extremely low" that anyone in the crowd would have been infected by the airborne virus, but said state health officials had to err on the side of caution.
"We're required to report even one case," Larkin said of federal health rules aimed at containing the once common and now rare virus that can be serious or even fatal to young children and dangerous for pregnant women.
The measles virus is spread when an infected person sneezes or coughs, spraying droplets of the virus, which remains active and contagious on a contaminated surface for up to two hours. Early symptoms can mimic a cold.
Larkin said most people in the U.S. have been vaccinated against measles, which reduces its transmission levels. He also said the odds of the virus spreading quickly in an open-air site are much lower than indoors.
He said the infected person didn't go into the NFL Experience, an indoor theme park set up inside the Indiana Convention Center visited by 25,000 people Friday.
The measles alert came just days after out-of-town fans of the New York Giants and New England Patriots left Indianapolis singing the city's praises. Many of those fans, along with national media and NFL officials, issued public statements and posted messages on Twitter and Facebook praising the city's ability to pull off the Super Bowl spectacle without a hitch.
Larkin said chances are still good that there will be no post-game hitch. He said the fast reporting of the four measles cases will make it easier to contain the spread of the disease.
Larkin said federal privacy laws prohibit the release of the identity of the infected person who visited the Super Bowl Village. Larkin said the person likely didn't know he or she was infected because the early symptoms can be mild: a runny nose or cough that escalates into a high fever before the outbreak of a rash.
State health officials confirmed two cases of measles in Hamilton County, just north of Indianapolis, and an additional two probable measles cases in nearby Boone County.
Indiana health officials were urging parents in those counties to contact their children's doctors to check immunization records. They also encouraged anyone who was in the Super Bowl Village area between 3 to 10 p.m. last Friday to do likewise.
Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent transmission. Health officials said more than 95 percent of people who receive a single dose of the measles vaccination will develop immunity and more than 99 percent will be protected after receiving a second dose. Individuals born before 1957, when the measles virus was more common, are presumed to be immune.
Maureen Hayden covers the Statehouse for the CNHI newspapers in Indiana. She can be reached at maureen.hayden@indianamediagroup.com. CNHI is the parent company of the Gloucester Daily Times.
What to look for:
Measles begins with a fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes about seven to 10 days after exposure.
The fever increases and can get as high as 105 degrees.
Two to four days later, a rash starts on the face and upper neck.
It spreads down the back and trunk, and then extends to the arms and hands, as well as the legs and feet.
After about five days, the rash fades the same order in which it appeared.
Measles is highly contagious. If you are experiencing the symptoms of measles, stay home and call your doctor.
Be prepared to describe your symptoms and alert your doctor if you think you have been in contact with an infected person.
If you are ill with measles, remain home and away from others, especially unvaccinated infants, people with diseases affecting their immune systems, and pregnant women.
SOURCE: Indiana State Department of Health
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