The officials said the cases are all from Boone and Hamilton counties and involve both children and adults.
Larkin said the first Indiana patient visited The Huddle in the Super Bowl Village between 3-6 p.m. Feb. 3, two days before the Super Bowl. That patient was infected by a visitor from a foreign country where measles outbreaks are more common.
Measles is very a very contagious illness, more specifically a respiratory disease, caused by a virus. Symptoms usually begin approximately eight to 12 days after someone is exposed. Symptoms include a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. Days later, a rash can begin forming on the face and upper neck and spread to other areas of the body.
The ISDH said measles are rare in the U.S. because of the high levels of vaccination. However, visitors from other countries can transmit the measles to unvaccinated people.
"We will notify that school with the local health department to verify which students are vaccinated and if they are not vaccinated, and there’s an actual infection, then we have to work with the school to identify those students who might be susceptible and will have to be excluded from class for a period of time until we can verify whether or not they are infectious," said Larkin.
Health officials urge people to check their health records and make sure they are up to date on their vaccinations. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the transmission of the measles.
"If it follows the pattern we expect of measles, we may have several more cases. We hope not many more."
The Centers for Disease Control considers even one case to be an outbreak. While there have been several years in Indiana without any reported cases, in 2011, there were 14 cases in the northeast region of the state. In 2005, there were 33 reported cases.
