Clark County Public Health has confirmed 38 measles cases and 13 suspected cases in its ongoing outbreak investigation since Jan. 1. Three confirmed cases have traveled outside the county.
Public Health confirmed two of those cases traveled to Hawaii, and in a news release, said it has not identified any known additional exposures linked to those Hawaii cases. Public Health did identify exposure locations tied to a Clark County case who traveled to Bend, Ore.
Other locations:
- Mountain Air Trampoline Park, 20495 Murray Road, Bend, Ore., 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 19.
- Juniper Swim and Fitness, 800 N.E. Sixth St., Bend, Ore., 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 20.
For a complete list of previous exposure sites in Oregon and Washington, click here.
Twenty-seven of the Clark County cases are between the ages of 1 and 10; 10 are between 11 and 18; and one case is between 19 and 29. Of the 36 confirmed cases, 34 are people who were not immunized and four are unverified.
There has been one confirmed case in Multnomah County, Ore. and another in King County.
Public health officials in Hawaii recently learned that two unvaccinated children with confirmed cases of measles traveled to Hawaii from Washington, according to Dr. Sarah Park, state epidemiologist for Hawaii. The Associated Press reported that public health officials went to see the family and advised them to remain in the home where they were staying on the Big Island, unless they could show proof of vaccination.
On Tuesday, Dr. Alan Melnick, director of Clark County Public Health, would not comment on the Hawaii situation but said that if someone was unvaccinated and exposed to measles, it can be difficult to restrict that person’s travel if they travel before the end of the incubation period.
He explained in that scenario, Clark County Public Health would coordinate with health officials in the jurisdiction where the exposed person traveled to, and the person would receive the same kind of monitoring they would get in Clark County. Melnick also said that someone displaying symptoms of measles can’t travel commercially.
On Tuesday, some media outlets reported that a Vancouver church was where the measles outbreak likely started. Melnick said the timeline offered in those reports doesn’t match up with the first confirmed case Public Health reported from Dec. 31, saying of the reports, “I don’t know how they determined that.”
“Our effort is not to try to figure out who the first case is,” Melnick said. “It’s trying to figure out how to control the outbreak.”
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.
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.
