Jackson Free Press

Below is a press release from the Mississippi Department of Health, with an update on the measles outbreak in Shelby County, Tennessee and Mississippians affected by the outbreak:

The Mississippi Department of Health is monitoring four unimmunized Mississippi residents who were exposed to measles in Shelby County, Tennessee. The Shelby County measles outbreak began in early April 2016.

While no cases have been confirmed in Mississippi, MSDH is monitoring these exposed individuals closely. They are under home quarantine and the supervision of a physician. State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs says this is why getting and remaining up to date on vaccinations is critically important.

“Measles is literally knocking at our back door. This is a highly contagious, airborne disease and is easily spread from person to person. Unvaccinated individuals are highly susceptible to infection. This is a potentially deadly virus; infants and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk.”

The MSDH is strongly recommending that Mississippi children 12 months of age or older who are behind on measles vaccination call their primary healthcare provider immediately.

As of yesterday, Tennessee reported six confirmed cases. The Shelby County Health Department has a website listing location sites and times where infected individuals may have exposed others. Mississippi residents who have recently traveled to the area can go to http://www.schdresponse.com/content/measlesoutbreak for more information and instructions. People can get sick up to 21 days after exposure to measles.

Mississippi residents with possible exposure should call his or her medical provider immediately if they develop fever or rash within 21 days. Symptoms of measles include a high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a rash.

Mississippi healthcare providers have been made aware of the situation; measles is a Class One reportable condition requiring notification to MSDH within 24 hours. The MSDH is working closely with health partners in Memphis and Tennessee to maintain awareness of this evolving outbreak.

Months of preparation and work are over for NFL scouts as the 2016 NFL Draft wrapped up over the weekend. But that doesn’t mean the work ends for the players who are just beginning their professional careers.

To be honest, it is fun to make judgments about how well a team drafted, but in reality, it will be a couple of years before we really know how well a team did. That’s not going to stop me from trying to look to the future to see how this class shapes up for the New Orleans Saints and the other players drafted from Mississippi universities.

First, let’s take a look at the Saints draft.

New Orleans’ dreadful defense has been the biggest reason for lack of success. Last season, the Saints gave up an NFL worst of 29.8 points per game. It’s hard to win when every game becomes a shootout.

Part of the reason for that was the Saints gave up a NFL worst 4.9 yards per rush and 8.35 yards per pass. Again, it is hard for a defense to get off the field or win games when the opposing offense is in second and third down and short on every drive.

New Orleans had to use this draft to fix the team’s defensive ills if it wanted to make the most out of quarterback Drew Brees' final peak years. The Saints delivered on defense with first round and 12th overall pick draft pick, Sheldon Rankins out of the University of Louisville.

Rankins should be a run-stuffing interior lineman who can also become a stud pass rusher in sub packages.

A note on sub packages: You will hear that phrase a good bit in today’s NFL. It's when defenses get into their nickel-and-dime defenses.

This pick will be a success if Rankins helps improve a defense that gave up 129.8 yards per game, which was second worst in the NFL behind the Philadelphia Eagles. Winning on first and second down should help the Saints get off the field on third down.

The Saints selected wide receiver Michael Thomas out of Ohio State University in the second round with the 47th pick. This should be the replacement for Marques Colston.

Thomas is a big-body receiver, can make catches in traffic and should be a force in the red zone. He should help take some of the coverage from Brandin Cooks and help get Willie Snead open for more catches.

An extra note on Thomas: His uncle is former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson.

New Orleans went back to defense with its second of two second-round picks when the team traded with the New England Patriots to get Vonn Bell, also out of OSU, with the 61st pick. Bell has the abilities to cover like a corner, but he plays safety.

This pick will work in sub packages, as Bell can be used to cover a team’s slot receiver. …

Here's a quick rundown of what happened during the first round of the NFL Draft: The Los Angeles Rams made University of California quarterback Jared Goff the No. 1 overall pick, and the Philadelphia Eagles took Carson Wentz, a quarterback out of North Dakota State University, making him the No. 2 pick.

After Goff and Wentz went in the draft, all eyes fell on University of Mississippi offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil. In fact, it was a terrible night for Tunsil and got worse as the night went along.

Shortly before the draft started, a video on Tunsil’s Twitter account, which was hacked, showed someone who was wearing a gas mask. later confirmed to be Tunsil, taking hits from a bong. It didn’t take long for the video to go viral and for ESPN and NFL Network to begin discussing it and what it would mean for him.

Before the draft, Tunsil was considered to be one of the top players in the draft, and many thought he would be the first player to hear his name called. After the video got out, he began to fall down as reports came out that teams had taken Tunsil off their draft board.

Instead of being the first tackle picked, Tunsil watched as the Baltimore Ravens drafted Ronnie Stanley out the University of Notre Dame in the sixth pick, and the Tennessee Titans drafted Jack Conklin out of Michigan State University in the eighth pick.

The Miami Dolphins finally stopped Tunsil’s drop by taking him with the 13th pick. Tunsil was supposed to be a top-five pick, but he didn’t even go in the top 10.

The first reports said that the video of Tunsil was five years old, but then it changed to two years old. But it didn’t matter when the video was taken. The damage was done, and it cost him millions.

The top pick in the draft will sign for about $28.5 million, and the fifth will sign for about $24 million. Falling all the way down to the 13th pick means Tunsil will sign for about $13 million.

The video cost him $10 to $15 million in salary in his first contract.

But his bad night wasn’t over. After the Dolphins selected him, a post on his Instagram account showed the offensive tackle asking a coach for money.

That post came up during his first press conference.

A reporter asked a visibly sweating Tunsil about the conversation with his coach over money. At first he denied that it happened, but in a follow-up question, he said he did ask and took money.

The money reports said he did it to pay bills and rent. Tunsil already had to sit out games last season for the Rebels due to receiving improper benefits. The day before the draft, reports surfaced that his stepfather, Lindsey Miller, filed a lawsuit against the offensive tackle …