Officials: Measles outbreak could have been worse

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — State health officials are crediting a northern Indiana doctor correctly diagnosing five family members with the measles as a key factor in containing the potential outbreak to 14 cases.

The Journal Gazette reports) the initial case was misdiagnosed as dengue fever, which produces a measles-like rash. Until emergency room physician Daniel Maas of IU Health Goshen Hospital correctly diagnosed the five cases, the original patient had carried on with daily life in the community.

The state health department says that during a five-week span, 12 cases were reported in Noble County and two in LaGrange County. State and local health officials say without a speedy response, the outbreak could have been much worse.

Maas was honored with the state's Excellence in Public Health award last month.