Lane County Public Health activated an incident command system in response to the two confirmed cases of measles in Oregon, Monday. Officials say more cases could start developing within the next few days.
The one patient found in Lane County was partially vaccinated. Public Health Officer Pat Luedtke said one of the groups he’s concerned about is people with one dose of the vaccine. Also at risk are those who aren’t vaccinated and children under 12 months.
“Let’s say there were a hundred people in this room and if 100 percent of them were not vaccinated, and they never had measles. So, they didn’t’ have any antibody right now. If they were all susceptible, probably around 90 percent of them would get it if somebody came into this room and started coughing and they were exposed. Measles is just exquisitely communicable and that’s what makes us nervous,” Luedtke said.
Both patients with measles were on a flight into Portland International on October 12. Luedtke said officials are now aware that more Oregonians on that flight may have been exposed. Officials are asking anyone who thinks they may not be fully vaccinated or are experiencing measles symptoms to call their doctor.
The Lane County patient was found to have visited the following sites at the following times:
Monday, October 21:
- 10:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Creswell Bakery, 182 S 2nd St., Creswell
- 12:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m., Bier Stein, 1591 Willamette St., Eugene
Wednesday, October 23:
- 4:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m., Blu Mist, 1400 Valley River Dr., Suite 130, Eugene
- 6:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m., North Fork Public House, 2805 Shadowview Dr., Eugene
People who were present at the listed locations during those dates may have been exposed. As of now, none of those sites are considered an ongoing risk for exposure. More locations may be added as officials continue investigating.
Symptoms of measles appear 7 to 18 days after contact and include high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. A measles rash appears 3 to 5 days after the first symptoms. The spots begin as flat red spots, appearing on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet. More info can be foundhere.
