Clark County Public Health has added Minnehaha Elementary School as an exposure site in the ongoing measles outbreak in the county. A total of 41 cases of measles have been confirmed in Clark County, along with 15 suspected cases.
The exposure at Minnehaha, from 3:45 to 7:45 p.m. Jan. 17, did occur after school, but given how close the exposure was to the end of a regular school day, Public Health is still implementing the same exclusions as they’ve done at other schools.
Minnehaha is the 14th school to be exposed to measles since Jan. 1. For a complete list of previous exposure sites in Oregon and Washington, click here.
Thirty 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 41 confirmed cases, 37 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. There has also been an exposure in Bend, Ore., but no confirmed cases in that area yet. And two Clark County cases traveled to Hawaii recently, but most likely didn’t create any exposures during their trip, according to Public Health.
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.
This story will be updated.
