Health officials warn public about measles outbreak
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ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- The King County Health Department has issued a health alert of a slightly different kind. They're warning people about measles after a case was recently reported in Issaquah.
Health officials say the outbreak started at Sea-Tac Airport when a traveler on layover brought in the highly contagious illness. It spread to a staff member at Issaquah's Tiger Mountain Community High School, where other employees, students or visitors could have been exposed on Jan. 23-25.
"Hopefully, most people have had their vaccinations and they don't have to worry about it, but yeah it's surprising," said Issaquah resident Dana Francis.
The staff member also visited the QFC and Starbucks at Klahanie Drive during that time, and that's all anyone at the Starbucks is talking about.
"I haven't hear about it in a long time. I had measles when I was little. We weren't given vaccinations back then," Francis said.
Measles mainly spread through the air after an infected person coughs or sneezes. Because most people in the area have immunity to the measles through vaccination, the King County Heath Department says the risk to the general public is low.
But some people are considered high risk.
"That would be an infant, pregnant woman, someone who has immunosuppression. Those people who were at the exposure sites need to contact their health care providers about watching their health and possibly taking vaccine or medication to prevent them from getting infected," said Dr. Jeff Duchin.
Anyone who's not immune to the measles could develop symptoms within the next two weeks. Symptoms include a high fever, a cough, red and watery eyes and a rash.
Health officials say the outbreak started at Sea-Tac Airport when a traveler on layover brought in the highly contagious illness. It spread to a staff member at Issaquah's Tiger Mountain Community High School, where other employees, students or visitors could have been exposed on Jan. 23-25.
"Hopefully, most people have had their vaccinations and they don't have to worry about it, but yeah it's surprising," said Issaquah resident Dana Francis.
The staff member also visited the QFC and Starbucks at Klahanie Drive during that time, and that's all anyone at the Starbucks is talking about.
"I haven't hear about it in a long time. I had measles when I was little. We weren't given vaccinations back then," Francis said.
Measles mainly spread through the air after an infected person coughs or sneezes. Because most people in the area have immunity to the measles through vaccination, the King County Heath Department says the risk to the general public is low.
But some people are considered high risk.
"That would be an infant, pregnant woman, someone who has immunosuppression. Those people who were at the exposure sites need to contact their health care providers about watching their health and possibly taking vaccine or medication to prevent them from getting infected," said Dr. Jeff Duchin.
Anyone who's not immune to the measles could develop symptoms within the next two weeks. Symptoms include a high fever, a cough, red and watery eyes and a rash.
The greatest danger is to infants since they aren't immunized for it until about 18 months and the disease can be fatal. My son was exposed to measles when he was 9 months old due to an unvaccinated child in his play group that had picked it up in an airport. The health dept. told me to go get him immunized immediately as it would lessen the severity of the disease were he to get it. That was the worst 2 weeks of my life, waiting to see if he'd get it. Fortunately, he didn't but he ended up having to get 2 more shots at the recommended ages as he was too young the first time to have it build enough antibodies. The slew of parents around me who hadn't immunized their children put mine, who was too young for the shot, at risk of death or disfigurement (I have an aunt that lost the sight in one eye to the disease). Yet they stick their kids in the car and drive them around every day, which has a much greater chance of killing or injuring their children than an immunization does.  Not to mention the risks of the actual disease should they be exposed.
I remember in college it was going around and I had to be vaccinated. So fun. You don't hear of it often though.
Whew...don't have to worry about that one. Had both measles and rubella.
 @SheilaKA Ditto. Kinda nice to be able to walk around and not really have to worry about it unless it has mutated.