By Wyatt Stayner
The Columbian
Clark County declared a public health emergency Friday over a growing measles outbreak following news that a person contagious with measles attended a recent Portland Trail Blazers game.
Clark County Council Chair Eileen Quiring declared the public health emergency to ensure Clark County Public Health has proper resources to continue its response, and so the department has access to additional resources outside the area, according to a Clark County news release.
“We’re in a race against the virus,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, director of Clark County Public Health.
In the latest measles update from Public Health, the the department warned that anyone who was at the Moda Center for a Portland Trail Blazers game from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 11 may have been exposed to the highly contagious virus.
That game — a win against the Charlotte Hornets — was nearly sold out, with 19,393 people attending, according to ESPN.
Other people in the building might have been exposed.
“As this thing grows, we’re going to have more public contacts,” The Moda Center situation highlights the need for us to maintain a high level of immunization,” Melnick said.
Clark County Public Health has now confirmed 19 measles cases since Jan. 1 in its ongoing outbreak investigation, along with seven suspected cases.
The latest update also includes one confirmed measles case in an adult — the first adult case in the outbreak, according to a Public Health news release. The adult is between the ages of 19 to 29.
There are 15 confirmed cases among ages 1 to 10, and three cases among ages 11 to 18. Sixteen cases are unimmunized and three are unverified, according to Public Health.
New exposure sites
Here are the new locations where people may have been exposed to measles: — Kaiser Cascade Park Medical Office, 12607 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver from 7 p.m. Jan. 15 to 2 a.m. Jan. 16. — Fisher Investments, 5525 N.W. Fisher Creek Drive, Camas, from 6:20 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 10, 11, 14 and 15. — Moda Center (Trail Blazers game), 1 N Center Court St., Portland, from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. Jan. 11. — Church of Christ the Savior, 3612 F St., Vancouver, from 9:10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 13. — Verizon Wireless at Cascade Station, 10103 N.E. Cascades Parkway, Portland from 5 to 11 p.m. Jan. 14.
Public Health also made a correction to one exposure date at Vancouver Home Connection. Here are the corrected exposure dates: — Vancouver Home Connection, 301 S. Lieser Road, Vancouver, on Jan. 7; Jan. 9 (This is a corrected date.); and Friday, Jan. 11.
Melnick said getting sick people to stay home is key to quelling the outbreak. He urged those who are ill or have measles-like symptoms to call medical providers before visiting medical centers in person.
He also urged those same people to restrict their entertainment choices for the time being.
“If you have symptoms and you’re ill, don’t go to a basketball game,” Melnick said. “Don’t go to the movies. Don’t go to work.”
While Melnick noted the exposure possibilities at a Blazer game are large, he did mention that hospitals, grocery stores and other locations can also have large groups of visitors.
Since measles is highly contagious, Melnick said any public location can be a dangerous spreading ground, and they all need to be taken seriously.
Hundreds of students have been held out of school due to the outbreak. Clark County Public Health is requiring exclusion of students and staff without documented immunity to measles from seven schools identified as exposure sites: — Cornerstone Christian Academy, 10818 N.E. 117th Ave., Vancouver, on Jan. 4. — Vancouver Home Connection, 301 S. Lieser Road, Vancouver, on Jan. 7; Jan. 8; and Jan. 11. — Hearthwood Elementary School, 801 N.E. Hearthwood Blvd., Vancouver, on Jan. 7, 9 and 11. — Image Elementary School, 4400 N.E. 122nd Ave., Vancouver, on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9. — Eisenhower Elementary School, 9201 N.W. Ninth Ave., Vancouver on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9. — Tukes Valley Primary and Middle School, 20601 N.E. 167th Ave., Battle Ground on Jan. 8.
According to data from the Washington State Department of Health, 291 of the 3,217 students at those seven schools were exempt from receiving the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in the 2017-2018 school year.
Church of Christ the Savior in Vancouver has posted a notice on its website that asks for no children to attend until Feb. 3 or until further notice. It also states that Sunday school and Russian school will be cancelled for two weeks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 90 percent of unvaccinated people exposed to the measles virus develop the disease. The virus lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person, and can survive for up to two hours in an airspace where the infected person coughed or sneezed.
Public Health has identified additional locations where people may have been exposed to measles. There are dozens of locations in total, including hospitals, the Portland International Airport and multiple schools. For a complete list of exposure sites, visit the Public Health measles investigation webpage.
