PORTLAND, Ore. — Two cases of measles in separate people in the same Clackamas County household have been confirmed by state and county health officials, as well as a case in Marion County. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) suggests there may be more, unreported cases in the state.
The Clackamas County residents confirmed to have measles — one adult and one child — were both unvaccinated. The adult developed a rash on June 11, was confirmed to have measles on June 14, and the child developed symptoms a few days later. The time range and location for their exposure is believed to have been from May 19 to June 4 in Marion County. Both people are currently recovering.
Because the exact location of the exposure is unknown, OHA said there may be other unreported measles cases in the state. The agency has yet to provide more details about the Marion County case.
Marion County Health and Human Services reported Monday night that two Marion County healthcare facilities were identified as potential exposure sites and the team is working with both facilities. Marion County health officials did not name which healthcare facilities were potential exposure sites.
Health officials have reported two areas, both Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) facilities, and time frames for when people may have been exposed:
- OHSU Immediate Care Richmond Clinic, located on Southeast Division Street in Portland, between 4:40 p.m. and 5:40 p.m. Wednesday, June 12.
- OHSU Hospital Emergency Department, located on Southwest Sam Jackson Park Road in Portland, between 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, and 7:15 p.m. Friday, June 14.
Health officials said risk of exposure at the OHSU emergency department is believed to be low because the patient wore a mask and airborne precautions were implemented promptly.
"Spreading measles from one person to another is pretty easy, as it’s a highly infectious disease," said Paul R. Cieslak, M.D., medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at OHA’s Public Health Division. "That’s why it’s extremely important that all adults and children in their household be up to date on vaccinations. Adults of any age born during or after 1957 can still be vaccinated."
These appear to be the first three confirmed cases of measles in Oregon this year. As of June 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had reported zero cases in the state. There are 151 confirmed cases of measles nationwide.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Contagion lasts four days before a rash appears and up to four days after the rash presents. Symptoms, which begin seven to 21 days after exposure, include a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by a rash in most instances that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body.
Those with the highest risk of measles include unvaccinated pregnant people, infants younger than 1 and people with weakened immune systems.
If you suspect you or someone in your household has measles, do not go to a medical office unannounced if the person has a measles-like rash, has been exposed to measles in the past 21 days and has other measles symptoms, like a fever, cough or red eyes. Before going into a medical office, call first by telephone in order to create an entry plan to avoid exposing others.