Posted Jan. 19, 2024. Past health advisories and alerts are archived for historical purposes and are not maintained or updated.
On January 6, 2024, Clark County Public Health issued a health advisory about cluster of three confirmed cases of measles in unvaccinated individuals. On January 10, WA Department of Health issued an advisory that three additional epi-linked cases in unvaccinated individuals have been identified. There are no known public exposures; the cases began isolation upon recognition of initial measles-like symptoms. Symptom onset dates for cases were in mid- to late-December. The investigation is ongoing.
Measles primarily spreads through large droplets but can also be transmitted through the airborne route. The virus can be transmitted through the latter route up to two hours after a contagious patient coughed or sneezed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Preventing health care exposures is critical to keep high-risk groups safe. When possible, use phone triage and assessment to determine if patients who might have measles need to be seen in-person. Up-to-date vaccination status makes measles much less likely. Please implement interventions listed below in your clinical settings to minimize exposure to others.
