Local officials started preparing measles plan months before case confirmed in a Triad visitor

Health officials in Forsyth and Guilford counties are expanding access to the measles vaccine after a child visiting the area recently was confirmed to have the disease.

Tammy Koonce, a nurse with the Guilford County Health Department, says the county hasn't seen a case of the measles in the 12 years she’s been working for the agency.

But that doesn’t mean they were caught off guard when the case was confirmed this month. She says earlier this year, in response to an outbreak in the Midwest, the department started offering walk-in appointments for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

“We also educated the public regarding measles and the symptoms of measles, and we coordinated [a] preparedness event a couple of weeks ago with other health departments,” she says.

Koonce says the case adds urgency to the effort to get people vaccinated against the disease. 

In Forsyth County, the public health department is offering a drive-up clinic for the vaccine at its facility on Highland Avenue.