A King County woman has been diagnosed with measles, the first case in the county this year. He had not been vaccinated against measles, officials said.
City and county health officials have been investigating the possible spread of the virus since it arrived at Seattle-Tacoma Airport on Wednesday afternoon.
Health officials said anyone who was at Sea-Tac gate B6 and baggage claim 04 between 12:26 p.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday or at the Providence Swedish First Hill emergency department between 2 p.m. and 4:55 p.m. Friday may have been infected. , which can stay in the air for two hours.
“Measles is highly contagious and if you don’t have enough protection, you can get it unless you are in a room with someone who has measles,” Dr. Eric Chow, director of infectious diseases for Public Health – Seattle & King County, said in a news release.
Respiratory infections are considered one of the most contagious diseases in the world for people who have not been vaccinated and can cause fever, rashes and red, watery eyes. It is especially dangerous for children under 5 years old, adults over 20 years old, immunocompromised people and pregnant women. The main symptoms include pneumonia, ear infections, diarrhea and inflammation of the brain – or encephalitis – and death. This disease can also make people more susceptible to other diseases.
King County officials say anyone who may have been exposed to the virus at an airport or hospital earlier this week should check their vaccination status and call their doctor if symptoms develop. People should notify the hospital or health center in advance if they want to be tested for measles, officials said.
In early 2019, Washington experienced two measles outbreaks with 90 deaths, 16 of which were in King County, the most cases in the state since 1990.
The two-part measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is highly effective, health officials said, with a 97% protection rate in the final study.
The measles vaccine was first approved in the US in 1963 and global health officials say it has saved more than 17 million lives between 2000 and 2015 alone.
But the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a resurgence of the disease due to the refocusing of public health care on the coronavirus and the rise of anti-vaccination sentiment, which has caused the death rate of vaccinated newborns in the US to increase over the past two years. age. 40 million children worldwide will not receive this vaccine in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.
Nine states and the District of Columbia have less than 90% measles vaccination coverage among schoolchildren, and there have been recent upheavals.s in the two states of Ohio and Minnesota, the Washington Post reported this month.
