Clark County Public Health reported Saturday there are two more suspected measles cases since Jan. 1 in its ongoing outbreak investigation. There are no new confirmed cases, which currently total 53.
“Public Health has not identified any new confirmed cases or locations where people may have been exposed to measles,” the health department said in a news release.
Three suspected cases identified earlier this week have been ruled out. Special testing found they were experiencing vaccine rashes, according to Public Health.
Officials said 5 percent of people can get a benign rash after receiving their first dose of the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine.
Locations associated with the three cases have been removed from the health department’s list of exposure sites. Feb. 1 and 4 exposures at the Sea Mar Medical Clinic Salmon Creek, a Jan. 30 exposure at Vancouver Clinic Salmon Creek and a Feb. 2 exposure at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center Emergency Department have been removed.
For a complete list of exposure sites, visit www.columbian.com/news/2019/jan/29/measles-exposure-sites.
The three people will continue to be monitored because “they were unvaccinated when exposed to measles, received one dose of MMR vaccine more than 72 hours after exposure and may still be at risk of developing measles,” Public Health said.
To prevent illness, one dose of the MMR vaccine must be given to unimmunized people within 72 hours of exposure.
Of the 53 cases confirmed, 47 had not been immunized against the highly contagious virus. Immunization status could not be verified for five cases, and one case involved a child who had received only a single dose of the MMR vaccine.
What to do if you might be infected
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 90 percent of unvaccinated people exposed to the measles virus come down with the disease. The virus lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person, and can survive for up to two hours in an airspace where the infected person coughed or sneezed.
Health officials are urging anyone who has been exposed at an identified location and believes they have symptoms of measles to call their health care provider prior to visiting the medical office to make a plan that avoids exposing others in the waiting room.
If you are unsure of your family’s immunization status, you can view, download and print your family’s immunization information online at wa.MyIR.net or request a copy of your immunization record from the Washington State Department of Health.
Anyone with questions about measles infection or the measles vaccine should call their primary care provider or a county health department:
Clark County Public Health, 360-397-8021.
Multnomah County, Ore., Public Health, 503-988-3406.
Washington County, Ore., Public Health, 503-846-3594.
Clackamas County, Ore., Public Health, 503-655-8411.
Clark County Public Health has been regularly updating its list of locations where people may have been exposed to measles. There are dozens of locations in total, including hospitals, Portland International Airport and multiple schools.
Public Health has established a call center for questions related to the investigation. Anyone who has questions about public exposures should call 360-397-8021. The call center is open daily.
For a complete list of exposure sites, visit the Public Health measles investigation webpage at www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/IllnessandDisease/Measles/MeaslesOutbreak.
Measles symptoms begin with a high fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by a rash that usually begins at the head and spreads to the rest of the body. A person can spread the virus before they show symptoms.
People are contagious with measles for up to four days before and up to four days after the rash appears. After someone is exposed to measles, illness develops in about one to three weeks.
