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Clark County Public Health confirms 16 measles cases, five suspected casesFree

14 of the individuals were not immunized against the virus

By Katie Gillespie, Columbian Education Reporter

Published: January 17, 2019, 2:09pm

(iStock)

Hundreds of students are out of school in light of a Clark County measles outbreak, and still thousands of other people may have been exposed to the highly infectious virus.

On Thursday, Clark County Public Health announced 16 children have been diagnosed with confirmed cases of measles. Another five cases are suspected. Of the confirmed cases, 14 of the children have not been immunized against the virus, and the vaccine status of the other two was not verified.

Of the confirmed cases, 13 children are between the ages of 1 and 10, and three are between the ages of 11 and 18. One child was hospitalized.

Clark County Public Health also identified additional locations and times at which people may have been exposed to measles. They are:

Measles exposure sites

Clark County Public Health released the following list of locations where people may have been exposed to measles in the Portland-Vancouver area:

Health care facilities:

• The Vancouver Clinic Salmon Creek, 2525 N.E. 139th St., Vancouver.

4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Jan. 23.

8:15 a.m. to noon Jan. 18

• Gresham Troutdale Family Medical Center, 1700 S.W. 257th Drive in Troutdale, Ore., from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Jan. 23.

• Legacy-GoHealth Urgent Care Cascade Park, 305 S.E. Chkalov Drive, Vancouver, from 6:25 to 10:15 p.m. Jan. 22.

• Legacy-GoHealth, 22262 N.E. Glisan St., in Gresham, Ore., from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 20.

• Memorial Urgent Care, 3400 Main St., Vancouver, from 4:30 to 7:50 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19.

• Kaiser Cascade Park, 12607 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver.

12:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19.

7 p.m. Jan. 15 to 2 a.m. Jan. 16.

1 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 12.

• Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center Emergency Department, 2211 N.E. 139th St., Vancouver.

11:40 p.m. Jan. 14 to 5:10 a.m. Jan 15.

5:45 p.m. Jan. 13 and 12:30 a.m. Jan. 14.

8:30 p.m. Jan. 12 to 1 a.m. Jan. 13.

• Kaiser Orchards Medical Office, 7101 N.E. 137th Ave., Vancouver,

1:55 to 6:10 p.m. Jan. 14.

1:50 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24

• Rose Urgent Care and Family Practice, 18 N.W. 20th Ave., Battle Ground, 3:45 to 8 p.m. Jan. 14.

• PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Emergency Department, 400 N.E. Mother Joseph Place, Vancouver.

12:30 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 13.

10 p.m. Jan. 12 to 4 a.m. Jan. 13.

• The Vancouver Clinic, 700 N.E. 87th Ave., Vancouver.

9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 14.

4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13.

10:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Jan. 12.

3:30 to 7 p.m. Jan. 11.

• Vancouver Clinic Columbia Tech Center, 501 SE 172nd Ave., Vancouver, from 11:30 am to 4 pm Friday, Jan. 11.

• Magnolia Family Clinic, 2207 N.E. Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 8.

Schools and child care facilities:

• Orchards Elementary School, 11405 N.E. 69th St., Vancouver, on Monday, Jan. 14.

• Evergreen High School, 14300 NE 18th St., Vancouver, on Wednesday, Jan. 9.

• Slavic Christian Academy, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Vancouver, on Monday, Jan. 7.

• Cornerstone Christian Academy, 10818 N.E. 117th Ave., Vancouver, on Jan. 4.

• Vancouver Home Connection, 301 S. Lieser Road, Vancouver, on Jan. 7; Jan. 8; and Jan. 11.

• Hearthwood Elementary School, 801 N.E. Hearthwood Blvd., Vancouver, on Jan. 7, 9 and 11.

• Image Elementary School, 4400 N.E. 122nd Ave., Vancouver, on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9.

• Eisenhower Elementary School, 9201 N.W. Ninth Ave., Vancouver, on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9.

• Tukes Valley Primary and Middle School, 20601 N.E. 167th Ave., Battle Ground, on Jan. 8.

• Maple Grove School, 601B S.W. Eaton Blvd., Battle Ground, on Tuesday, Jan. 8 and Wednesday, Jan. 9.

• River HomeLink, 601 S.W. Eaton Blvd., Battle Ground, on Tuesday, Jan. 8 and Wednesday, Jan. 9.

• St. Paul Christian Daycare, 1309 Franklin St., Vancouver, Jan. 16, 17, 18 and 23

• Yelena’s Daycare, 17007 N.E. 23rd St., Vancouver, Jan. 22 and 23

Other locations:

• Dollar Tree, 11501 N.E. 76th St., Vancouver, from 8:10 to 10:50 pm Tuesday, Jan. 15.

• Dollar Tree, 7809-B Vancouver Plaza Drive, Vancouver, from 6:30 to 9:10 p.m. Jan. 15.

• Dollar Tree, 305 S.E. Chkalov Drive, Vancouver from 1:10 to 4 p.m. Jan. 21.

• GracePoint Christian Church, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Vancouver, from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 7.

• Church of Christ Savior, 3612 F St., Vancouver

9:30 a.m. to noon Jan. 6

6 to 11:30 p.m. Jan. 6

9:10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 13.

• Church of Truth, 7250 N.E. 41st St., Vancouver from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 6.

• Portland International Airport, 7000 N.E. Airport Way, Portland

10:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on Jan. 7. More specifically, anyone who spent time in Concourse D and the Delta Sky Lounge during that time period.

7:30 to 11 p.m. Jan. 15, baggage claim and south end of the ticket counter (near Alaska Airlines and Starbucks)

• Costco, 4849 N.E. 138th Ave., Portland

1 to 5:30 p.m. Jan. 8.

5:30 to 8:40 p.m. Jan. 16

• Amazon Lockers, 1131 S.W. Jefferson St., Portland, from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 10.

Rejuvenation, 1100 S.E. Grand Ave. Portland, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 10.

Pho Green Papaya, 13215 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Jan. 10.

• Chuck’s Produce, 13215 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, from 8 to 11:45 p.m. Jan. 10 and 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Jan. 11.

• Ikea, 10280 N.E. Cascades Parkway, Portland, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 11.

* Fisher Investments, 5525 N.W. Fisher Creek Drive, Camas

6:20 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 10

6:20 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 11

6:20 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 14

6:20 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 15

• Moda Center (Trail Blazers game), 1 N. Center Court St., Portland, from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. Jan. 11.

• Verizon Wireless at Cascade Station, 10103 N.E. Cascades Parkway, Portland, from 5 to 11 p.m. Jan. 14.

• A Children’s Dentist, 101 NW 12th Ave., Battle Ground, from 1:30 to 6 pm Tuesday, Jan. 8.

• God Will Provide Church, 7321 N.E. 110th St., Vancouver, from 7 to 11 p.m. Jan. 18.

• Fred Meyer, 22855 N.E. Park Lane in Wood Village, Ore., from 11 a.m. to noon Jan. 20.

• Walgreens Pharmacy, 25699 S.E. Stark St., in Troutdale, Ore., from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 23.

• Vancouver Division of Children, Youth and Families, 907 Harney St., Vancouver, from 12:15 to 5:15 p.m. Jan. 18.

• Golden Corral, 11801 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver, from 4 to 9 p.m. Jan. 19.

• Vancouver Woman, Infant and Children (WIC) office, 5411 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, from 2:50 to 6:15 p.m. Jan. 23.

• Tower Mall public areas (entrances and hallways), 5411 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, from 2:50 to 6:15 p.m. Jan. 23.

• New Life Mission Church, 3300 N.E. 172nd Place, Portland from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 20.

• Trader Joe's, 305 S.E. Chkalov Drive, Vancouver from 12:30 to 3:40 p.m. Jan. 21.

• Walmart Supercenter, 14505 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver 1:30 to 5 p.m. Jan. 21.

• Rose Urgent Care and Family Practice, 18 N.W. 20th Ave., Battle Ground; 3:45 to 8 p.m. Jan. 14.

• Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center Emergency Department, 2211 N.E. 139th St., Vancouver; 11:40 p.m. Jan. 14 to 5:10 a.m. Jan. 15.

• Tukes Valley Primary and Middle School, 20601 N.E. 167th Ave., Battle Ground on Jan. 8.

There are now two dozen locations in Clark County and Portland, including schools, health care facilities and businesses, where people may have been exposed to the virus.

Clark County Public Health is requiring exclusion of students and staff without documented immunity to measles from those seven schools identified as exposure sites. According to data from the Washington State Department of Health, 291 of the 3,217 students at those seven schools were exempt from receiving the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in the 2017-2018 school year.

Immunity can be documented in the following ways:

• A date of birth before 1957.

• Record of age-appropriate measles vaccination with a live measles virus-containing vaccine: one dose for children 12 months through 3 years old; two doses for anyone 4 years and older and one dose for adults verified by a licensed health care provider.

• A letter from a licensed health care provider documenting infection with and full recovery from a previous measles illness.

• A letter from a licensed health care provider confirming a blood test or serology showing measles immunity.

Two schools in Evergreen Public Schools — Image and Hearthwood Elementary schools — are affected by the outbreak. District spokeswoman Gail Spolar estimated that, as of Tuesday night, more than 100 students and staff had to be excluded from campus. That number dropped rapidly as people proved their immunity, however.

Spolar also noted that some bus routes had to be changed and consolidated while the district awaited proof of vaccination from bus drivers. The district also contacted food and janitorial service providers to confirm proof of immunity.

“It wasn’t just a small confined group within the schools,” Spolar said. “We had to spread it out.”

In neighboring Vancouver Public Schools, students at the Lieser Campus and Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School are affected by the outbreak. District spokeswoman Pat Nuzzo estimates a total of 93 students had to be sent home. Extra staff were on hand at both campuses to check that no students without documented immunity attended classes.

There are valid medical reasons a child may not be able to receive vaccines, including certain types of childhood immune deficiencies and cancers. But the rate of students with documented medical exemptions to vaccines is low. Only 34 students at those seven campuses were medically exempt from receiving at least one of the required vaccines, including an MMR shot. An estimated 293, meanwhile, are personally exempt from receiving at least one required vaccine.

Medical science has debunked the prevailing myths about vaccines. The World Health Organization this week listed vaccine hesitancy — the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate — among the top 10 threats to global health in 2019. WHO notes that measles cases have increased by 30 percent across the globe, and while not all cases are due to vaccine hesitancies, some countries that had nearly eliminated the disease have seen its return.

“Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways of avoiding disease,” according to WHO’s website. “It currently prevents 2-3 million deaths a year, and a further 1.5 million could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved.”

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Measles is highly contagious. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 90 percent of unvaccinated people exposed to the measles virus develops the disease. The virus, which lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person, can live for up to two hours in an airspace where the infected person coughed or sneezed.

Clark County Public Health urges anyone who has been exposed and thinks they are showing symptoms of measles to contact their health care provider before visiting the medical office in order to avoid exposing people in waiting rooms.

Public Health has also established a call center for questions related to the measles investigation. Anyone with questions can call 360-397-8021 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, including weekends. Information about the outbreak will also be posted at www.clark.wa.gov/public-health/measles-investigation.

Measles exposure sites

Health care facilities:

Schools and child care facilities:

Other locations:

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