Updated Monday, Feb. 25, 2019: The outbreak in Clark County has grown to 65 confirmed cases and one suspect case. Another person in Multnomah County also became infected, though health authorities said it didn't immediately appear to be linked to the Clark County outbreak. Four other cases in Multnomah County are part of the outbreak. It's not clear how the most recent person because infected. Health officials released few details.
Clark County Public Health has identified several new confirmed cases of measles in recent days, bringing the total number of cases in that southwestern Washington county to 62. The agency said it's not currently investigating any suspected cases.
That number doesn't include one confirmed case in King County, Washington, and four in Multnomah County, Oregon.
Most of those new confirmed Clark County cases are in people under the age of 18. But one of the new confirmed cases is in an adult aged 30 to 39 years old.
The majority of the confirmed measles cases are in individuals who were not immunized, but one of the new cases had one of the two recommended doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
With these new confirmed measles cases, Clark County Public Health has identified three new locations where people may have been exposed to the disease:
- Vancouver Clinic Salmon Creek, 2525 NE 139th St., Vancouver, from 7-10 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, and from 10:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15.
- Image Elementary School, from Monday, Feb. 11 through Friday, Feb. 15
- Pacific Middle School from Monday, Feb. 11 through Wednesday, Feb. 15
A full list of exposure sites is available here.
The health department confirmed the new measles cases just as it appeared the rate of increase was slowing down.
Meanwhile, the Washington Legislature this week advanced a bill to remove parents' ability to claim a personal or philosophical objection to vaccinating their school-age children for measles. Washington and Oregon are among 17 states that allow such exemptions.
