As Count Rises, Health Officials Say Measles Outbreak Could Last Months

A statewide public health emergency was declared in Washington state after a measles outbreak in an area bordering Portland, Oregon reached 31 cases on Friday. It is paramount that no more people get infected and that the outbreak is contained.

"Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease that can be fatal in small children", Gov. Inslee stated in his proclamation.

He says some of his parents don't vaccinate for religious reasons, because they're anxious about side effects and because they're not convinced vaccinations are effective.

HB-1638 would only apply to measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines in the "philosophical or personal objections" category. While the King County website says the patient, a man in his 50s, is a "suspected case", the governor said in a news release it is a confirmed case of measles.

There is also one case in King County, which includes Seattle.

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According to the Mayo Clinic, measles spreads when an infected individual coughs, sneezes or talks near other people. The proportion of children receiving no vaccine doses by 2 years old rose from 0.9% among those born in 2011 to 1.3% among those born in 2015, the CDC reported in October.

In Oregon and Washington, people may have been exposed to the disease at about four dozen locations, including Portland International Airport and a Portland Trail Blazers game, officials said. As a result, people may not know they are carrying the disease and could easily unwittingly expose others to the extremely contagious virus.

The measles vaccine has been part of routine childhood shots for decades, and measles was declared eliminated in the U.S.in 2000.

There is no scientific link between vaccines and autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But measles is still a big problem in other parts of the world, and travellers infected overseas can bring the virus back and spread it, causing periodic outbreaks. The first known patient sought medical care on December 31, but it isn't known if other people may have gotten sick before that and did not seek treatment.

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Last year, there were 17 outbreaks and about 350 cases of measles in the U.S.

Children traveling overseas may need to be vaccinated before their first birthday, and women who are hoping to become pregnant should discuss vaccinations with their health care provider, as the MMR vaccine is not recommended during pregnancy.

The first vaccine gives you a 93 percent protection against the measles and the second dose raises the effectiveness to 97 percent.

But the vaccine is less effective in those under a year old and is generally not given to infants. They live in Camas, Washington, where at least one infected person spent time while contagious.

The virus, spread by coughing or sneezing, can remain in the air for up to two hours in an isolated space.

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Those who are unvaccinated, travel internationally to developing countries or have a vitamin A deficiency are more likely to catch the disease. Symptoms such as high fever, rash all over the body, stuffy nose and red eyes typically disappear without treatment within two or three weeks.