Parents concerned after measles scare in West Tenn.

JACKSON, Tenn. — Health officials have confirmed six cases of measles in Shelby County.

“Measles is very scary,” said Latonya Smith, a mother living with five children in Jackson. She heard about the measles cases in Shelby County.

“It concerns me because you know my kids go to school here in town and you want to make sure when they come home they don’t bring anything home,” Smith said.

The Shelby County Health Department confirmed six cases of measles, saying some of the cases are connected.

“With the proximity, how close we are to Memphis, parents should always be concerned about a vaccine-preventable disease like measles,” said Shanna Shearon, an epidemiologist at the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department.

Shearon said symptoms include red and itchy eyes, fever, cough and a rash. She said they talked with the health department in Shelby County on Tuesday.

“The best thing parents can do is be proactive about their child’s health right now,” Shearon said. “Make sure they are vaccinated. Make sure that they’re protected against this disease.”

Smith said she makes sure her kids are vaccinated. “I think it’s important to get them vaccinated because [of] things going around,” she said.

Health experts said measles is highly contagious and can be deadly.