Marion County health officials confirmed a new case of measles Wednesday, bringing the state’s total count to 14 cases. The new case involves an unvaccinated child who was diagnosed earlier this week. It is now the eighth case of measles reported out of Marion County. A presumptive case of an adult was also reported from a household where measles was previously confirmed.
The ages of the individuals diagnosed range from 3 to 43 years old, with eight cases being children. All of the individuals who have contracted the disease were unvaccinated.
An undated image provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a child with a characteristic rash associated with measles.
Courtesy of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Measles is “maybe the most highly contagious disease that we know of,” said Dr. Paul Cieslak, the medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division.
“A person coughing into the room can transmit measles to anybody else in the room at that time, or even up to a couple of hours afterwards,” said Cieslak.
The first symptoms of measles include a fever, cough, head cold, and red eyes before the clearest indicator of the disease appears: a rash on the face, neck or hairline.
Cieslak said people with the disease can be contagious for four days before and after a rash appears, and that’s why it’s extremely important people pay attention to warning signs.
Staying inside, avoiding close contact with others and calling your health care provider ahead of a visit can neutralize the spread of the disease. But the best way to stay safe, Cieslak said, is to get vaccinated.
Over the past five years, vaccination rates for measles for 2-year-olds has decreased from 90.7% to 87.6%. Dr. Caroline Castillo, the public health officer for Marion County Health & Human Services, said that decrease might be a result of the pandemic.
“People weren’t able to get in for their welfare checks, they weren’t able to get in for routine immunizations because of the strain on the health care system or lack of availability. So, even if they intended to be vaccinated they may have missed their routine vaccines,” she said.
Unvaccinated people in the areas where cases have been identified — Marion County, Clackamas County and Multnomah County — are most at risk. Children under 12 months old, adults over 20 years old, people who are immunocompromised and people who are pregnant are also considered high risk
For all people at risk, Castillo said being aware of the severity of measles is vital. A misconception she sees all the time is that measles is just a rash and that recovery is guaranteed.
“But measles is a very serious illness,” she said. “There are well known complications, serious ear infections, and about 10% of children who get it can get severe pneumonia or brain swelling.”
On top of that, Castillo added that measles can cause health issues up to seven years after someone contracts the disease.
In 2000, measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. But now, it’s back, and people don’t know what it looks like or can turn into.
“A lot of health care providers have not seen a measles rash in person. The more information and accurate imaging we can get out there, both for the public, but also health care providers, would be great,” said Castillo.
The county continues to conduct contact tracing and investigate any areas where there may have been potential exposure. “We want to be able to protect as many people in the community as possible,” she said.