Tennessee health officials reaching out to people who might have been exposed to measles

State officials were working Monday to contact more than 600 people who might have been exposed to measles in Tennessee.

That figure includes people who might have come into contact with the infected Tennessee resident but who are not Tennessee residents themselves, according to Elizabeth Hart, a spokeswoman for the state health department.

Officials announced last week they had confirmed the first — and so far only — case of measles in Tennessee this year. The news came as the annual total of cases across the country approached record levels.

As of Friday, 626 cases had been reported across 22 states in 2019, the second-highest figure since measles was declared "eliminated" in the U.S. in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A total of 667 cases was reported in all of 2014, a figure that will likely be surpassed in the coming weeks, the CDC said.

A nurse holds a vile of the Measles, Mumps & Rubella (MMR) vaccine at the Robert L. Yeager health complex in Pomona on Wednesday, March 27, 2019.

Tennessee officials previously said the lone infected resident lives in the eastern part of the state. They would not specify which county, nor would they release any additional information about the case.

Mississippi health officials, however, held a news conference Friday to warn residents that a Tennessee man who had contracted measles traveled earlier this month to Hattiesburg. The man was unvaccinated, officials said, adding that they had not confirmed any cases in Mississippi.

The ongoing surge in cases nationally has been fueled in part by the anti-vaccination movement, as the majority of people who contract measles have not been vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Skin rash on a patient’s abdomen 3 days after the onset of a measles infection.

The full measles-mumps-rubella — or MMR — vaccine consists of two shots that are typically administered during childhood. It is widely available and "is one of the most effective vaccines that we have," Tennessee State Epidemiologist Dr. Tim Jones said at a news conference Thursday. "And therefore the highest risk of spread from a case, once we identify it, is to unimmunized people," including infants.

The measles virus, spread when someone coughs or sneezes, can live for up to two hours in the air or on surfaces. Those who breathe contaminated air or touch a contaminated surface can become infected.

A person can be infected for seven to 14 days before any symptoms appear. The sickness typically begins with fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes. Tiny white spots may appear inside the mouth before a red, spotty rash appears on the face and spreads downward.

Complications can include pneumonia and swelling of the brain. The disease can be fatal, especially in young children.