BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) -- A child in Alabama has contracted the measles, marking the first case of the virus found in the state in over 20 years.

The Alabama Department of Public Health announced that the child, under the age of 5, was not vaccinated and had caught the measles after travelling outside the US. The last measles case in Alabama was recorded in 2002.

Measles is a viral respiratory illness that lives in the nose and throat mucus of infected people, according to ADPH. It spreads when people breathe in or have contact with virus-infected fluid and can pass through droplets sprayed into the air when someone with measles sneezes or coughs. Symptoms usually appear 7-14 days after.

Vaccines are available at pediatricians' offices or county health departments.

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