Oregon saw just one case of measles last year, but now there are six, and it’s entirely possible there will be more cases in the coming weeks.
The outbreak overlaps with other outbreaks of whooping cough, a preventable disease that has infected more than 350 people in more than a dozen counties so far this year.
The measles outbreak, Oregon’s largest since 2019, has been centered in Marion County and began in mid-June when the Oregon Health Authority announced an unvaccinated adult and child from the same household were infected. Though both live in Clackamas County, Oregon Health Authority officials said it was in Marion County that they became infected.
At the same time, county officials announced another case involving an unvaccinated child.
Marion County health officials announced three more cases of the virus in unvaccinated children over the past week. County spokeswoman Melissa Gable said the cases involve children ages 4 to 14 who live in different households.
“Our infectious disease team is actively investigating all cases, but at this time we do not know any links between the cases,” Gable said.
State officials said that means others could become infected and new cases could emerge.
“Given how contagious measles is, we expect to see an increase in measles cases, and we certainly hope that doesn’t happen,” said Jonathan Mody, a spokesman for the Oregon Health Authority.
The whooping cough outbreak also may not be over yet, health officials said. Modi said the counties with the most cases are Lane, Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Deschutes, Jefferson, Josephine, Marion, Linn, Columbia, Hood River, Benton and Yamhill, with 12 outbreaks, and more than 130 cases in Lane County.
Both diseases are particularly contagious because they spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and measles particles can remain in the air for up to two hours. They cause fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes, along with a rash that usually starts on the face and spreads to the whole body. They can also cause more severe symptoms, including ear infections, pneumonia, and, rarely, brain swelling.
Whooping cough spreads in much the same way and is characterized by a cough that is often forceful and accompanied by a “whistling” sound that can last for weeks or months. Other symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, fever and watery eyes.
Whooping cough is contagious when you have cold-like symptoms, which can last up to three weeks after the coughing begins.
A person with measles is contagious for four days before the rash appears and for up to four days after the rash appears.
Both diseases are preventable with vaccines. For whooping cough, doctors recommend five doses of the combined diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP) vaccine for children and one dose for teenagers in their early teens. Full vaccination is about 85% effective in preventing disease, but the measles vaccine is even more effective, at 97%. Authorities recommend two doses of the measles, mumps, rubella, and MMR vaccine, the first when a child is 12-15 months old and the second between the ages of 4-6 years. Anyone born before 1957, before the vaccine became widely available, or who has been vaccinated or infected, is considered immune to measles.
Due to widespread vaccination campaigns, the World Health Organization declared the disease eradicated from the United States in 2000. But it has reemerged due to people bringing the disease from abroad and an increasing number of parents who don’t vaccinate their children.
Oregon has required two doses of the measles vaccine for children entering kindergarten since 1998, although parents can obtain medical or non-medical exemptions to waive the requirement. Measles vaccination is also required for children attending child care centers and students in higher education.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a measles outbreak is currently occurring in 24 states across the West, Midwest, East Coast and South, including Oregon, infecting about 170 people.
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