United States: On Monday, Oregon Health Division officials confirmed two measles cases in Clackamas County households and disclosed that other people present in two Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) facilities could possibly have contracted the disease last week.
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The first known case was a young adult who had no prior injections; they are believed to have caught the disease in Marion County between May 19 and June 4, officials found out.
The above adult transmitted measles to an unvaccinated child in the same home, likely due to unprotected exposure, as oregonlive.com reported.
The concerning source of the contamination is not clearly identifiable, the health officials argued, meaning that there could be other cases linked to Marion County and yet unseen.
Others may have been exposed whether they have visited the OHSU Immediate Care Richmond Clinic between 4:At 40 minutes past four on June 12 or at any time from 6 p.m. at the OHSU Hospital emergency or up to 7:15 p.m. on June 14.
More about measles
Measles is a highly infectious disease, added Dr. Paul R. Cieslak, the Medical Director at the Oregon Health Authority, while releasing the statement.
He noted that there are certain categories of adults, which were born during or after the 1957 year, can still be vaccinated. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory infection believed to affect everyone born before 1957 because of early exposure to the virus before the vaccine was developed, as oregonlive.com reported.
Measles is transmitted through aerosols and respiratory droplets, and it is contagious even up to two hours after the infected individual has left the room.
An individual is contagious from the time a rash starts until four days after the rash begins. Some of the known signs are fever, cough, sneezing, red eyes; this is accompanied by rash from the face and down the rest of the body. These symptoms commence within seven to 21 days after the individual has come in contact with the infection source.
Measles is treatable – Experts
Health officers have explained that measles, which is a vaccine-preventable disease and may cause severe and fatal illnesses, is most dangerous for persons who have never received the measles vaccines, pregnant women, children less than one year of age, and individuals with compromised immune systems.
The move was announced as the state’s health authorities have reported that the vaccination rates among schoolchildren are decreasing.
During the last school year, every state, including Oregon, saw its rate of non-medical exemptions differently, but as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Oregon had the second highest rate across the United States.
Experts have noted that the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine retains a very high level of effectiveness in instances of measles, but only if there is the right population coverage of the vaccine.
However, pertussis, better known as whooping cough today, is on the increase, particularly in Oregon. This was up from 90 recorded cases last year with the state experiencing a 790 percent up surge.
In 2024, half of Oregon’s reported cases of whooping cough were primary school aged kids and young adolescents and 45 percent of them were not fully vaccinated.
For instance, when a patient develops a sign of measles, authorities recommend getting in touch with a healthcare provider or an urgent care center to come up with a plan on how he or she could be attended without infecting more people in the facility.