As if the threats from weather and time weren’t challenging enough for facility managers, many now must deal with outbreaks of a disease that had been all but eradicated in 2000 — measles.
The University of Michigan is informing students and staff that an international visitor who has returned home has been diagnosed with measles. University officials say anyone who was in certain campus buildings from April 1 through April 5 should monitor themselves for rash, fever and other symptoms.
Exposure also could have occurred away from campus. Washtenaw County, Mich., has provided a list of potential locations.
The case is not part of the official Michigan measles count, which stands at 39. Health officials are urging people to get vaccinated if they haven't received the vaccine in the past. The number of measles cases in Michigan is the highest since 65 in 1991.
Measles was declared eliminated — defined as the absence of continuous disease transmission for greater than 12 months — from the United States in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This was thanks to a highly effective vaccination program in the United States and better measles control in the Americas region.
Dan Hounsell is editor-in-chief of Facility Maintenance Decisions.
