Oregon health officials reported two new cases of measles in unvaccinated children in Marion County on Friday.
The children were diagnosed with measles on July 11 and 12. There have been no known infections reported to the public, health authorities said in a press release.
Last month, two cases — an unvaccinated adult and an unvaccinated child — were reported in a household in Clackamas County. Health officials said at the time that the adult appeared to have contracted the virus in Marion County sometime between mid-May and early June.
Measles is a highly contagious disease, Dr. Paul R. Cieslak, chief medical officer for the Oregon Health Authority, said in a statement. Cieslak said adults of any age born in or after 1957 can still get vaccinated. People born before 1957 are generally considered immune because of widespread measles infections before a vaccine was available.
According to health authorities, measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes and can linger for up to two hours. People are contagious for four days before a rash appears and for up to four days after. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, usually followed by a rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. These symptoms begin seven to 21 days after exposure to the infection.
Officials say measles, which can be fatal, poses the greatest risk to people who have not had the measles vaccine, pregnant people, babies under 1 year old and people with weakened immune systems.
Earlier this year, health officials warned of declining vaccination rates among Oregon schoolchildren. Last school year, Oregon had the second-highest rate of nonmedical exemptions in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials say the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is highly effective against measles, but only if enough people are vaccinated.
Officials urge people who experience symptoms of measles to contact a health care provider or emergency department ahead of time to develop a plan to avoid exposing others in the facility to the disease.
— The Oregonian/OregonLive