• Tweet
• Share
• Email
• Print

RACINE - There are more probable cases of measles, and a first case of rubella in southeast Wisconsin. We learned late Tuesday afternoon there are three new probable cases of measles in southeast Wisconsin. That's in addition to the four cases already confirmed. There's also now a case of rubella in Waukesha County. Rubella is also known as "German measles,” and it's something we haven't seen here since the 1990s. The measles outbreak now covers Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine and Walworth counties. In Racine, a local doctor tested a 5th grade boy for measles and it came back positive. Officially, this is considered a probable case. Racine officials rushed a sample to the state health lab where they're working on confirming the measles. "Last case in Racine was more than 20 years ago, and we don't want to repeat that,” Racine Public Health Official Janelle Grammer said. The fifth grader's mother told TODAYS TMJ4 she is shocked that her son contracted the disease because he has received both his initial vaccination and his booster shot. She told Lauren Leamanczyk that even her doctor was skeptical. “He said, 'yeah he’s been vaccinated, so I just don’t think it’s going to be the measles. He doesn’t look like the measles. He seems o.k., he doesn’t seem typical of the measles,'" she said. The mother said her son attended several days of class while contagious. She would not have sent him had she known he was contagious with the measles. The boy says he had a rash all over his arms, legs and back. It was a deep red color. Even though highly contagious measles may be in the school, Racine Unified made the decision not to shut down S.C. Johnson Elementary. Instead, they've decided to order kids who are not fully immunized to stay home under quarantine. Thirteen students are in this category. "They have to stay home 24 hours a day. They can't leave their home, they can't attend any functions out in the community. You can't have people come into the house who are not properly immunized or they could be quarantined as well,” Grammer said. The district says the sick boy has not been in class this week. The school says they contacted parents with a phone alert, but many TODAY’S TMJ4 talked to got the news when they picked up their children, and they would have liked to have known sooner. "I think they should have at least notified all of us about what's going on so that we would have the choice to keep our kids home,” Grandparent Julianne Estrada said. Public officials are unaware of any links to the confirmed cases in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties, but they are still investigating. The measles starts with cold like symptoms. You could develop a cough or fever. Victims then get a red rash that starts on the head and spreads to the rest of the body. Click on the links under related content for more information on the measles outbreak.