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A measles outbreak affecting 23 largely unvaccinated people in the state of Washington since the beginning of the year has led public health officials to declare a public health emergency, according to a statement from the department of Clark County Public Health, Washington, January 22nd. The department is investigating two other "suspected cases".
Measles has been confirmed in 18 children aged 1 to 10, four children aged 11 to 18 and one adult aged 19 to 29 years.
The statement from the Clark County Public Health Department includes a list of 36 public places where exposure to the infection may have occurred and the list is updated regularly.
These facilities include eight health facilities, 12 schools and 16 others, including stores, churches, a Portland Trail Blazers basketball game at the Moda Center, and the Portland, Oregon, Oregon International Airport. on the other side of the Columbia River, from Clark County, in Washington State. Many places on the list had potential exposures on more than a day.
"Measles is so contagious that if someone is infected, 90% of those close to that person who are not immunized will also be infected," according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Twenty of the sick people were unvaccinated and the vaccination status is unknown for the other three. A person would have been hospitalized.
According to a study published online June 12, 2018 in Portland, Portland is one of many metropolitan areas of "hot spots" in the United States where the number of non-medical exemptions from vaccines is high. PLOS Medicine. Others include Seattle and Spokane in Washington; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City and Provo in Utah; Houston, Fort Worth, Plano and Austin Texas; Troy, Warren and Detroit in Michigan; Kansas City, Missouri; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Additional smaller counties, notably in Idaho, Wisconsin and Utah, also have high exemption rates.
Call before seeking medical attention, official stress
Because the disease is so contagious, those who have been exposed or who believe in the infection should call their health care provider before going to a medical center, emergency care center or emergency department. , unless undergoing a medical emergency, according to the authorities.
Calling in advance will give health care providers the opportunity to ensure that no other patient is exposed in the waiting room.
Students and staff without documented immunity against measles are excluded from schools where exhibitions may have taken place; these people are also excluded from other schools, daycares and other gathering places. These exclusions do not apply to students and school staff where exposure to measles has not occurred.
The measles virus can survive up to two hours in the air when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. Others may be infected if they "breathe contaminated air or touch the infected surface, and then touch the eyes, nose or mouth," says the CDC. People with measles can transmit the disease to other people 4 days before the onset of the rash and up to 4 days after it appears.
The Clark County Public Health Department will update its web page with additional information as it becomes available.
Those with questions about the survey or about public exhibits should call the Public Health Hotline at 360-397-8021.
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