Inslee declares measles state of emergency; Clark County cases at 30Free

Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency Friday statewide due to the measles outbreak that started in Clark County.

Clark County Public Health has confirmed 30 measles cases and nine suspected cases since Jan. 1, according to a Friday news release. The Clark County Council declared a public health emergency for the county Jan. 18.

“Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease that can be fatal in small children,” Inslee stated in a proclamation. “The existence of (31) confirmed cases in the state of Washington creates an extreme public health risk that may quickly spread to other counties.”

Public Health announced one new Clark County exposure location Friday: God Will Provide Church, 7321 N.E. 110th St., Vancouver, from 7 to 11 p.m. Jan. 18.

The Oregon Health Authority also on Friday confirmed a measles case in a Multnomah County, Ore., resident. The agency is working with Multnomah County and state agencies in Oregon and Washington to notify people of their potential exposure, and help them prevent exposing others should they become ill.

The exposure sites related to the Multnomah County case include:

• Legacy GoHealth, 22262 N.E. Glisan St., in Gresham, Ore., from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 20.
• Fred Meyer, 22855 N.E. Park Lane in Wood Village, Ore., from 11 a.m. to noon Jan. 20.
• Gresham Troutdale Family Medical Center, 1700 S.W. 257th Drive in Troutdale, Ore., from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Jan. 23.
• Walgreens Pharmacy, 25699 S.E. Stark St., in Troutdale, Ore., from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 23.

The majority of cases in Clark County are in children younger than 18 with one case in an adult age 19 to 29. Twenty-six of the cases were not immunized; the immunization status of the other four cases is unverified.

According to Inslee’s proclamation, state agencies and departments can utilize state resources, and do anything reasonably possible to assist affected areas. The proclamation is also necessary to utilize the Emergency Management Assistance Compact to request additional medical resources from other states.

The proclamation also means the state Department of Health has launched the infectious disease Incident Management Structure, which helps “manage the public health aspects of the incident to include investigations, laboratory testing and other efforts to protect communities,” a news release from Inslee’s office states.

The Washington Military Department is also coordinating resources to support the health department and local officials in alleviating the impacts to people, property and infrastructure.

Clark County Public Health Officer Dr. Alan Melnick said the state of emergency declaration might allow Washington to use federal resources in fighting the outbreak. The state has already been assisting Clark County in outbreak response, which has cost the county more than $100,000. On average, about 50 people work on the response effort — about five of those people are from the Department of Health.

Public Health has had to shift its own staff from other areas, such as food inspection, to assist in the outbreak response. The state-of-emergency declaration might mean more state staff could help in Clark County, Melnick said.

“We’re only a couple weeks into this,” Melnick said. “We’re in this for the long haul. We had one nurse who worked for 12 straight days and was even taking calls at night. People are getting tired. People need relief, so bringing more assets in will really help.”

Public Health – Seattle & King County said Wednesday that a man in his 50s was hospitalized with a confirmed case of measles but has been released. Officials say the man recently traveled to Vancouver, but it’s not clear if that’s where he might have been infected. Melnick said measles will likely spread to more counties, as well as into other states.

“It’s a realization that this is not nearly over,” he said of Inslee’s declaration.

Lawmakers from the state’s 17th and 18th legislative districts issued a statement late Friday afternoon: “We appreciate Gov. Inslee issuing a state of emergency this morning. The outbreak of measles in our local communities is extremely concerning, but we are thankful every resource has been made available to help the Department of Health respond quickly and effectively.

“The governor’s proclamation not only provides essential resources and personnel, but also brings a heightened public awareness about this dangerous and preventable disease. While this is an uncertain and unfortunate time for many across our county, this state of emergency will help reduce the spread and length of the outbreak. We will continue to closely monitor the situation.”

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 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.

For a complete list of exposure sites, visit the Public Health measles investigation webpage.

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.

Assistant metro editor Jessica Prokop contributed to this report.