Three new measles cases confirmed in Snohomish County, health officials warn

Three new measles cases have been confirmed in Snohomish County.

Like most of the confirmed cases, the latest person to get sick is a child who was not vaccinated. The case was confirmed Jan. 27.

Exposure risk

Health officials are warning the public about this exposure site: Slavic Christian Church Awakening, located at 4223 78th Street S.W. in Mukilteo, where the child attended religious services. The child was there between 2 and 6 p.m. on Jan. 18.

Measles is extremely contagious. Someone who is sick can be contagious before the telltale rash appears, and people know they are sick. The virus can stay in the air up to two hours after a contagious person leaves the area.

It can cause serious health complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), especially in children younger than five. The most common issues are ear infections and diarrhea. But some serious cases can lead to pneumonia and encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain.

Tracking the outbreak

The County Health Department declared an “outbreak,” defined as at least three confirmed cases that are linked together, two weeks ago.

This all started when a family visited from South Carolina after Christmas. Two unvaccinated children and one partially vaccinated adult from that visiting family started showing symptoms, and were subsequently diagnosed. They visited several public places while they were believed to be contagious.

Three children who came into contact with that family started showing signs of fever, cough, and rash – the hallmarks of measles. They tested positive on January 14. None of them were vaccinated.

Health investigators confirmed two more cases later. This was in a family that was already isolating because another sibling was believed to have had measles. None of those children were vaccinated.

It’s not clear whether those children were exposed to the other Snohomish County family or became sick in some other way.

The Snohomish County Health Department has launched a dashboard to track cases.

“Our community and the families impacted by this outbreak have been extremely cooperative in taking measures to stop additional spread of measles. Stay home if you are feeling ill, know your immune status, and get vaccinated if you can to protect yourself and others,” Carrie Parker, the Snohomish County Health Department’s assistant director of prevention services, said.

South Carolina has a large, active measles outbreak. Almost 800 cases have been reported since October, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health.

Low risk

Healthcare providers and facilities are required by law to report cases of measles because it is so contagious. Health investigators at the county and state level track the virus, exposure locations, and identify groups who may be at risk to prevent the spread.

“Most people in our county have immunity to measles through vaccination, so the risk to the general public is low,” Snohomish County Health Officer Dr. James Lewis said. “The next two to three weeks could be telling on where this outbreak is going to go. Now is the time to find out your immunization status and get up to date on vaccinations.”

But Lewis believes there may be more sick people out there. They may not be getting medical attention, which means they would not be specifically counted in this outbreak.

Measles vaccine

The CDC recommends the measles vaccine for children, with one dose starting at about 12 months and the second dose at age four.

Full vaccination is considered to be 97% effective against the virus.

Adults born before 1957 are also considered to be immune because they lived through years of measles epidemics and likely had the measles.

Read more of Jillian Raftery’s stories here.