14 April 18 • 2019 jn P arents are breathing a sigh of relief in Ann Arbor. On April 9, Washtenaw County reported one confirmed case of the measles, a child at the Early Childhood Center at the Jewish Community Center of Ann Arbor, one of the first centers in Washtenaw County to not allow unvaccinated children in with religious or philo- sophical waivers. Peretz Hirshbein, director of child and family services at the JCC, told about a dozen families that their chil- dren who were too young to be vacci- nated would have to stay home for 21 days for their own safety. A few days later, on April 11, Hirshbein issued another email, informing parents that there was no measles outbreak after all. “I just received a call from the county health department giving me the news that the child who tested positive for measles did NOT have measles,” Hirshbein wrote. “The virus sample was subjected to genotyping, and the genetic material was deter- mined to be a match to that of the vaccine, NOT the wild virus. This means that the child had a vaccine reaction that resembled measles symptoms and did not in fact have measles.” The MMR vaccine contains a weak- ened live virus that cannot cause mea- sles but can result in positive lab tests. Reactions to vaccines can sometimes resemble the disease itself, but cannot result in its transmission because the disease itself is not present. What this means, Hirshbein wrote, “There was no measles exposure in the building, so none of our children need to be isolated. We look forward to seeing our babies back as soon as tomorrow. “While this was a false alarm, I am grateful for the zealous protection of the public’ s health by our county health department,” he continued. “We completely understand the immediate response and need to act swiftly given the information available at the time. Had this been a true case of measles, waiting to act until geno- typing could have been disastrous.” The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Washtenaw County Health Department on April 12 confirmed a case of measles in Ann Arbor related to international travel. This case is not part of the current Michigan outbreak, which stands at 39 for 2019. These previously identified sites are no longer considered exposure loca- tions, according to MDHHS: • JCC of Ann Arbor • Olive Garden, Ann Arbor • Liberty Athletic Club, Ann Arbor • Beaumont Royal Oak ER • Green Garden Child Development Center For a list of Ann Arbor exposure sites, go to washtenaw.org. OAKLAND COUNTY UPDATE The Oakland County Health Division (OCHD) stated that it continues to work with schools and daycares to proactively identify unvaccinated or under-vaccinated students who are at greatest risk of contracting measles. “By Michigan law, all students are required to be immunized with two doses of Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine or have evidence of having contracted measles, ” said OCHD’ s Leigh-Anne Stafford. “School exclusion policies will be enforced as necessary to protect the public’ s health. ” At Derby Middle School in Birmingham, a student has a confirmed case of the measles, according to a Free Press story, which also reported that Birmingham Public Schools adminis- trators are following OCHD guidelines in requiring students who are not vac- cinated and those who are under-vacci- nated to stay home from school for 21 days after the date of exposure to try to limit spread of the disease. ■ jews d in the Ann Arbor JCC False Alarm for Measles Outbreak in Ann Arbor Statewide cases reduced to 39. INTEREST-FREE LOANS FOR MICHIGAN JEWISH RESIDENTS APPLICATIONS OPEN APRIL 1 TO MAY 15 COMPLETE AND SUBMIT ONLINE: jewishcollegeloansmi.org 6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 300 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48301 248.723.8184 info@jewishcollegeloansmi.org ADMINISTERED BY WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS WHAT IS THE WILLIAM DAVIDSON JEWISH COLLEGE LOAN PROGRAM? A Need-based, interest-free loan program for Jewish Michigan residents who are U.S. Citizens. • Qualifying students must be enrolled in full-time accredited colleges or universities in Michigan. • Free Application for Student Financial Aid (FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov) to be completed for eligibility. • Financial need determination includes demonstrating active pursuit of all available funding resources. • Post-application interview with a Hebrew Free Loan WDJCLP staff member. • Two co-signers required. • While attending school, required annual loan repayments are $100. • No fee to apply.