Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.clark.wa.gov/public-health/measles-investigation [h=3]Current investigation - updated 2/6/2019[/h] Clark County Public Health is continuing its measles outbreak investigation. Since Jan. 1, we have identified 50 confirmed cases and 11 suspect cases. Public Health has also identified several new locations where people may have been exposed to measles.
Here are the details of the confirmed cases:
Three of the 11 suspect cases were unimmunized when exposed to measles. To prevent illness, one dose of measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine must be given to unimmunized people within 72 hours of exposure. Unfortunately, these three suspect cases received the vaccine more than 72 hours after exposure.
About 5 percent of previously unvaccinated people will develop a rash after being immunized. When administered after 72 hours, the vaccine is less likely to prevent illness, and if the person develops a rash, there is a small chance that the rash is due to the vaccine. People who experience these mild vaccine-associated rashes cannot transmit the vaccine virus to other people.
However, in these situations, it is difficult to determine whether the rash is a benign vaccine reaction or measles illness. For these three suspect cases, specimens are being sent to a specialized laboratory out of state to confirm measles, but it can take more than a week to get the results. Until lab results are available, and in order to protect those who may have been exposed, Public Health is treating these suspect cases as we would treat confirmed cases and releasing information about public locations they visited while potentially contagious with measles.
To date, all lab results of confirmed cases have matched a wild strain of virus, preventable through vaccination, circulating in Eastern Europe. The vaccine strain of measles has never been transmitted person to person.
Public Health is not providing any additional information about the one case with one dose of MMR in order to protect the patient?s privacy.
?The measles vaccine isn?t perfect, but one dose is 93 percent effective at preventing illness,? said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County health officer and Public Health director. ?The recommended two doses of the measles vaccine provide even greater protection ? 97 percent.?
Clark County Public Health is urging anyone who has been exposed 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. People who believe they have symptoms of measles should not go directly to medical offices, urgent care centers or emergency departments (unless experiencing a medical emergency) without calling in advance.
Anyone with questions about measles immunity or the measles vaccine should contact their primary care provider. Clark County Public Health does not provide immunizations or testing for immunity.
Public Health will update this webpage daily as additional information becomes available.
[h=3]Public exposure locations - new locations will be shown in red[/h] Some exposure sites have been removed from the list below because the period during which someone could have gotten measles (incubation period) has passed. The list of those locations is available in the Frequently Asked Questions section at the bottom of this webpage.
People who visited the following locations may have been exposed to measles and may be at risk of contracting the measles:
Health care facilities:
Other locations:
For information about other measles cases in Washington, visit the Washington State Department of Health measles webpage.
For information about measles cases and outbreaks in the U.S., visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Clark County 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.
If you're unsure of your family's immunization status, you can view, download and print your family's immunization information online at MyIR 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 their local county health department:
The latest news release about the Clark County measles investigation is available here.
[h=5]Additional resources[/h] Measles fact sheet - English
Measles fact sheet - Spanish
Measles fact sheet - Ukraine
Measles fact sheet - Russian
Provider advisories
Here are the details of the confirmed cases:
- Age
- 1 to 10 years: 35 cases
- 11 to 18 years: 13 cases
- 19 to 29 years: one case
- 30 to 39 years: one case
- Immunization status
- Unimmunized: 43 cases
- Unverified: six cases
- 1 MMR vaccine: one case
- Hospitalization: one case (none currently)
Three of the 11 suspect cases were unimmunized when exposed to measles. To prevent illness, one dose of measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine must be given to unimmunized people within 72 hours of exposure. Unfortunately, these three suspect cases received the vaccine more than 72 hours after exposure.
About 5 percent of previously unvaccinated people will develop a rash after being immunized. When administered after 72 hours, the vaccine is less likely to prevent illness, and if the person develops a rash, there is a small chance that the rash is due to the vaccine. People who experience these mild vaccine-associated rashes cannot transmit the vaccine virus to other people.
However, in these situations, it is difficult to determine whether the rash is a benign vaccine reaction or measles illness. For these three suspect cases, specimens are being sent to a specialized laboratory out of state to confirm measles, but it can take more than a week to get the results. Until lab results are available, and in order to protect those who may have been exposed, Public Health is treating these suspect cases as we would treat confirmed cases and releasing information about public locations they visited while potentially contagious with measles.
To date, all lab results of confirmed cases have matched a wild strain of virus, preventable through vaccination, circulating in Eastern Europe. The vaccine strain of measles has never been transmitted person to person.
Public Health is not providing any additional information about the one case with one dose of MMR in order to protect the patient?s privacy.
?The measles vaccine isn?t perfect, but one dose is 93 percent effective at preventing illness,? said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County health officer and Public Health director. ?The recommended two doses of the measles vaccine provide even greater protection ? 97 percent.?
Clark County Public Health is urging anyone who has been exposed 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. People who believe they have symptoms of measles should not go directly to medical offices, urgent care centers or emergency departments (unless experiencing a medical emergency) without calling in advance.
Anyone with questions about measles immunity or the measles vaccine should contact their primary care provider. Clark County Public Health does not provide immunizations or testing for immunity.
Public Health will update this webpage daily as additional information becomes available.
[h=3]Public exposure locations - new locations will be shown in red[/h] Some exposure sites have been removed from the list below because the period during which someone could have gotten measles (incubation period) has passed. The list of those locations is available in the Frequently Asked Questions section at the bottom of this webpage.
People who visited the following locations may have been exposed to measles and may be at risk of contracting the measles:
Health care facilities:
- PeaceHealth Urgent Care ? Memorial, 3400 Main St.
- 4:30 to 7:50 pm Saturday, Jan. 19.
- Kaiser Cascade Park Medical Office, 12607 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver
- 7 pm Tuesday, Jan. 15 to 2 am Wednesday, Jan. 16.
- 12:30 to 7:30 pm Saturday, Jan. 19.
- Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center Emergency Department, 2211 NE 139th St., Vancouver
- 11 am to 5 pm Saturday, Feb. 2.
- Kaiser Orchards Medical Office, 7101 NE 137th Ave., Vancouver
- 1:50 to 7:30 pm Thursday, Jan. 24.
- The Vancouver Clinic Salmon Creek, 2525 NE 139th St., Vancouver
- 8:15 am to noon Friday, Jan. 18.
- 4:30 to 9:30 pm Wednesday, Jan. 23.
- 8 to 11:45 am Wednesday, Jan. 30.
- Legacy GoHealth Urgent Care Cascade Park, 305 SE Chkalov Drive, Vancouver from 6:25 to 10:15 pm Tuesday, Jan. 22.
- Sea Mar Medical Clinic Salmon Creek, 14508 NE 20th Ave., Vancouver
- 8:45 am to 1:15 pm Friday, Feb. 1.
- 11:30 am to 2:15 pm Monday, Feb. 4.
- St. Paul Christian Daycare, 1309 Franklin St., Vancouver, Wednesday, Jan. 16; Thursday, Jan. 17; Friday, Jan. 18; Wednesday, Jan. 23.
- Minnehaha Elementary School, 2800 NE 54th St., Vancouver from 3:45 to 7:45 pm Thursday, Jan. 17. (Given the concern of overlap between the exposure period and the end of the regular school day, Public Health is requiring exclusion of students and staff without documented immunity to measles who were at the school anytime on Jan. 17.)
- Yelena?s Daycare, 17007 NE 23rd St., Vancouver Tuesday, Jan. 22 and Wednesday, Jan. 23.
Other locations:
- Costco, 4849 NE 138th Ave., Portland
- 5:30 to 8:40 pm Wednesday, Jan. 16.
- God Will Provide Church, 7321 NE 110th St., Vancouver from 7 to 11 pm Friday, Jan. 18.
- Vancouver Division of Children, Youth and Families, 907 Harney St., Vancouver from 12:15 to 5:15 pm Friday, Jan. 18.
- Mountain Air Trampoline Park, 20495 Murray Road, Bend, Ore., 9:30 am to 2:30 pm Saturday, Jan. 19.
- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), 1945 SE Water Ave., Portland from 2:30 to 7 pm Saturday, Jan. 19.
- Golden Corral, 11801 NE Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver from 4 to 9 pm Saturday, Jan. 19.
- New Life Mission Church, 3300 NE 172nd Place, Portland from 9:30 am to 2 pm Sunday, Jan. 20.
- Juniper Swim and Fitness, 800 NE Sixth St., Bend, Ore., 9:30 am to 4 pm Sunday, Jan. 20.
- Word of Grace Bible Church, 1317 NW 12th Ave., Battle Ground from 9:30 am to 2 pm, Jan. 20.
- Trader Joe's, 305 SE Chkalov Drive, Vancouver from 12:30 to 3:40 pm Monday, Jan. 21.
- Dollar Tree, 305 SE Chkalov Drive, Vancouver from 1:10 to 4 pm Monday, Jan. 21.
- Walmart Supercenter, 14505 NE Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver 1:30 to 5 pm Monday, Jan. 21.
- Vancouver Women, Infant and Children (WIC) office, 5411 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver from 2:50 to 6:15 pm Wednesday, Jan. 23.
- Tower Mall public areas (entrances, hallways), 5411 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver from 2:50 to 6:15 pm Wednesday, Jan. 23.
For information about other measles cases in Washington, visit the Washington State Department of Health measles webpage.
For information about measles cases and outbreaks in the U.S., visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Clark County 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.
If you're unsure of your family's immunization status, you can view, download and print your family's immunization information online at MyIR 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 their local county health department:
- Clark County Public Health, 360.397.8021
- Multnomah County Public Health, 503.988.3406
- Washington County Public Health, 503.846.3594
- Clackamas County Public Health, 503.655.8411
The latest news release about the Clark County measles investigation is available here.
[h=5]Additional resources[/h] Measles fact sheet - English
Measles fact sheet - Spanish
Measles fact sheet - Ukraine
Measles fact sheet - Russian
Provider advisories