(UNDATED) - Measles cases are continuing to spread across northeast Indiana after LaGrange and DeKalb Counties each reported a case.
The Indiana Department of Health reported the new cases as of September 30th. The reports bring the number of known cases in northeast Indiana to six. It's the first reported cases in LaGrange and DeKalb Counties.
The Allen County Department of Health announced last week that the people who visited the Fort Wayne Zoo on Sunday, September 27th, may have been exposed to measles.
Measles can spread easily among people who are not protected from the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says up to nine out of 10 unprotected people who have close contact with someone who has measles can become infected.
The illness can lead to serious complications, particularly for children younger than 5. Those complications can include pneumonia, swelling of the brain and, in rare cases, death.
Health officials say people are generally considered protected from measles if they have received two documented, age-appropriate doses of the MMR vaccine; have a blood test showing immunity; were born before 1957; or have documented evidence of a previous measles infection.
According to the Indiana Department of Health, residents with questions about measles exposure, symptoms or vaccination should contact a healthcare provider or their local health department.