Measles Latest Has Sixth Case In Oregon, Clark County Stays At 65

PORTLAND, OR – The bad news is that health officials in Multnomah County have identified a fifth case of the measles in the county – sixth overall in Oregon. The good news is that officials have not found any connection between the new case and the outbreak in Clark County, WA.

The Clark County outbreak was steady at 65 confirmed cases as of Sunday evening with one other possible case being investigated.

Multnomah County health officials say that they have also identified two possible locations where people could have been exposed to the measles.

Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts

"We are notifying people who were potentially exposed out of an abundance of caution," Multnomah County deputy health officer Dr. Jennifer Vines says..

"The good news is that measles is not spreading from Clark County to the Portland metro area."

The potential exposure sites are:

• Portland International Airport: Tuesday, Feb. 19, 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel emergency department: 10:30 p.m Tuesday, Feb. 19 to 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20.

Officials say that the difference between Washington and Oregon is that the majority of Oregons – in particular, 96 percent of school-age students, have received what they says is the "effective vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella.

"When measles gets introduced to Oregon, it spreads only to those people who are not up-to-date on their immunization.

It's a different story in Washington – particularly Clark County – which has had a growing problem with declining immunizations rates. The number of kindergartners who have been immunized for measles has dropped 12 percent over the past 15 years.

Of the 65 confirmed cases in Washington, 57 are people who had not been vaccinated against measles and six cases in which doctors have not yet been able to determine if the person had been vaccinated.

There are two cases of people who received one dose of the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine. Health officials say that two doses are needed for the vaccine to be at its most effective.

The majority of the confirmed cases, 47 of the 64 are people are between 1 and 10-years-old. Fifteen of them are between 11 and 18, one is between 19 and 29-years-old, and two are between 30 and 39-years-old.

Clark County Public Health has set up a hotline for people to call with questions related to the investigation. The number is 360-397-8021 and is staffed from 9 a.m. through 7 p.m. every day.

They also say that anyone who thinks that they may have been exposed and may have symptoms are urged to call their doctor before going so arrangements can be made to minimize the risk to other patients.

Officials add that anyone with questions about measles infection or the measles vaccine should call their primary care provider or their local county health department:

• Clark County Public Health, 360.397.8021
• Multnomah County Public Health, 503.988.3406
• Washington County Public Health, 503.846.3594
• Clackamas County Public Health, 503.655.8411

Officials say that anyone who thinks that they may have been exposed and may have symptoms are urged to call their doctor before going so arrangements can be made to minimize the risk to other patients.