The health department has confirmed 19 cases of measles and 7 suspected cases in the Portland/ Vancouver area. The health department and CDC recommend vaccination of all individuals ages 12 months or older to prevent spread of disease. If your child has not been vaccinated, you can call the clinic to schedule a vaccination appointment.
- Measles is a virus spread by respiratory droplets from infected individuals that are breathed in
- Droplets can also land on inanimate objects and remain infectious for several hours
- It is highly contagious and can be spread 4 days before symptoms appear through 4 days after appearance of rash
- Symptoms of measles appear after 10-14 days and include:
- High fever
- Dry cough
- Runny nose
- Sore throat
- Conjunctivitis
- Skin rash that typically begins on the face and spreads to the body
- Over 90% of the time measles is a self-limiting disease. Most complications from measles are due to the development of pneumonia. About 1/10,000 cases can be fatal and this is typically due to the development of pneumonia. Rarely measles can lead to swelling in the brain called encephalitis.
- If your child cannot be immunized due to a history of adverse reactions or other health concerns, you can give high dose vitamin A to limit disease severity. Please contact the office if you are interested in this protocol for your child or yourself. Pregnant women cannot take high dose vitamin A.