Another case of measles identified in King County
May 17, 2019, 6:13 PM
Another measles outbreak in King County. (AP)
(AP)
A sixth confirmed case of measles in Western Washington was found Friday, in a King County woman in her 40s.
RELATED: Clark County declares official end to measles outbreak
This marks the third measles case identified in King County this month, as part of a larger outbreak that saw Issaquah High School shut down on Thursday to confirm its staff’s immunizations.
This newest case spent time in various King County sites before knowing she was contagious. It’s suspected that — like other confirmed cases during this outbreak — the illness was contracted at Sea-Tac Airport.
Anyone in the following places during the listed times could have also been exposed to measles.
| Date | Time | Location |
| 5/10/19 | 7:30 am – 9:35 am | The Villas Building A (1221 A St. NE, Auburn WA) |
| 5/10/19 | 8:00 am – 7:00 pm | The Box Maker (6406 S 190th St, Kent 98032) |
| 5/10/19 | 5:30 pm – 8:20 pm | The Villas Building A |
| 5/11/19 | 3:55 pm – 6:50 pm | The Villas Building A |
| 5/11/19 | 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm | Fred Meyer (801 Auburn Way N, Auburn 98002) |
| 5/15/19 | 8:30 am – 1:25 pm | The Villas Building A |
Additional possible points of exposure across Western Washington can be found here.
Local health officials theorize this most recent outbreak stemmed from a shared exposure to “an unidentified person,” on the morning of April 25, 2019 at Sea-Tac Airport.
Five of the six measles cases most recently found in Washington were identified in adults. One case was fully immunized, one was not, and the other four are still under investigation.
Three of the new cases were located in King County. One — a student at a Bothell high school — was identified in Snohomish County. Another was in Pierce County.
As of May 10, there are 839 confirmed measles cases in the United States. The exact sources of infections in Washington are not known. Seattle-King County Public Health Director Dr. Jeff Duchin says that travel is a primary factor in the spread of diseases.
“Unfortunately, I am not surprised that we are seeing cases of measles in King County,” Duchin said. “Measles is resurging nationally and around the globe.”
“It’s resurgent, we’ve poked a sleeping bear and measles is going to be circulating in the US and globally for quite a while now,” he added.
Given the current state of measles outbreaks, Duchin says people should expect more cases to emerge.
“Based on the cases that have been diagnosed through today, we may see new cases appearing through June 1, maybe a little bit later that that,” he said.
Symptoms for measles typically set in roughly seven to 21 days after initial exposure. It’s contagious for around four days before a rash presents, as well as four days after a rash appears.
The highest risk for infection generally occurs in children under five years old, adults over 20 years old, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems from drugs or underlying diseases, and anyone not vaccinated against the measles virus.
Health officials urge anyone who might suspect they’ve been infected to contact their local health provider, and to not go into any hospital or clinic without first calling ahead to intimate that they want to be evaluated for measles.
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