Officials warn of measles exposure at Sea-Tac, Portland airport

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/04/08/breaking_news/doc47fbe4d4693ae919650742.txt

Officials warn of measles exposure at Sea-Tac, Portland airport
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 2:34 PM PDT
By The Associated Press


SEATTLE ? The Seattle-King County Health Department says some people at Sea-Tac Airport may have been exposed to measles from another traveler on March 26.

A woman in her 20s flew from Amsterdam to Sea-Tac (on Northwest Flight 33) and then continued to Portland (on Horizon flight 2243). After developing a rash, she returned to the Netherlands on March 29 where a blood test on April 4 confirmed measles.

Health officials say other travelers who may have been on the flights and in the airport on the 26th should be alert for symptoms and see a doctor if they become ill.

 

[tropical]

Re: Officials warn of measles exposure at Sea-Tac, Portland airport

"After developing a rash, she returned to the Netherlands on March 29 where a blood test on April 4 confirmed measles."

What a big passengers biosecurity policy at the international airports:
why a passenger with a developed rash was not isolated at the airport station, checked by medical personnel, and diverted to an hospital, instead of being allowed returning to Netherlands?

Measles which cannot be controled, and we thinking to contain an serious novel pandemic?

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Officials warn of measles exposure at Sea-Tac, Portland airport

Source: http://wweek.com/wwire/?p=11486

Gov's Plane: County Investigates Possible Measles Outbreak
April 9th 2008 12:00pm

This post has been updated with information from Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Gary Oxman:

When Gov. Ted Kulongoski and a plane-load of pols, dignitaries, and big-wheels flew to Amsterdam on March 29 , there may have been at least one free-loader on board?an unchecked highly contagious virus. Port of Portland spokesman Steve Johnson says it's his understanding that one passenger on the inaugural non-stop Northwest flight between Portland and the Netherlands was diagnosed with the measles after the flight landed in Amsterdam.

That passenger on the A330-200 was a European journalist not associated with the governor's party.

And it's unclear whether the measles could influence the Democratic presidential nomination: after returning to Oregon from Europe, Kulongoski, a Hillary Clinton supporter, campaigned arm-in-arm with Clinton in Hillsboro and Eugene over the weekend. Unless Kulongoski was actively experiencing measles symptoms at the time, she's fine. Kulongoski spokeswoman Anna Richter Taylor says far as she knows, her boss was not infected.

The Multnomah County Health Department is notifying passengers who were on the flight, says county spokeswoman Althea Milechman.

"We are aggressively investigating this situation," says Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Gary Oxman. "So far we haven't found any further cases."Oxman says measles is extremely rare in Oregon?there have been no more than three cases in the entire state in each of the past half dozen years. But he adds that measles is also extremely contagious.

"There's a very low risk to the public in this case from what we can see," Oxman says. "But if people are experiencing symptoms (see Wiki-pedia link above), they should contact their health provider or the county Health Department first and no just go into a clinic because measles is so contagious."

Oxman says the county, state and Center for Disease Control are tracking the people with whom the European journalist had direct contact in Oregon before diagnosis and those people seated nearby or had contact with the journalist on the plane to Amsterdam?a few dozen in all.