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Terminally ill boy exposed to measles while at California hospital

Posted at 10:29 AM, Apr 03, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-03 13:29:01-04

SACRAMENTO, California — The spread of measles appears to be on the rise, and one very ill child in the U.S. has been exposed to it.

KTXL reports the 7-year-old being treated at UC Davis Medical Center in March has tuberous sclerosis and will succumb to it at some point, according to his mother. He was diagnosed at 4 months old.

On March 17, the boy was brought to UC Davis after he began having seizures. Days later, the hospital told the mother her son had been exposed to measles while there.

Another patient who had visited the emergency room at the same time had measles — a child who had not been vaccinated. That child got the measles while overseas.

The mother says there is no room for risk with his health and this is a great concern. A doctor treating him said while he was exposed, it is not believed he has the measles, KTXL reports.

The rise of measles cases in the U.S. has fueled the concern with children who are not vaccinated. There are nearly 400 reported cases of measles in 15 states right now, USA Today reports.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says if one person has the measles, 90 percent of the people around that person who are not immune will become infected. It is urging people to get vaccinations.

The measles can lead to death: More than 110,000 people worldwide died from it in 2017. In the U.S., the last measles death was in 2015, USA Today reports.