Two Cases Of Measles Confirmed In Grant County

Health officials in Grant County are sounding the alarm after two cases of measles were reported this week.

The Grant County Health District says it was notified of the infections on Tuesday (March 17), adding that both cases occurred in children from the same household who were unvaccinated against the illness.

Officials say the children likely contracted the illness during recent travels abroad and one required hospitalization upon returning the U.S.

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In a statement issued by the Health Department on Wednesday, Health Officer Dr. Alexander Brzezny said, "Now is the time to make sure you and your family are protected from measles. Check your vaccination records and get up to date with the MMR vaccine. Measles is highly contagious and can lead to serious illness, but it’s also highly preventable. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at protecting against measles."

The Health Department says the two children were in several public places where they might have exposed others to the illness over the past week, including:

- On March 7 between 9:20 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Confluence Direct Care Walk-in Clinic, 840 East Hill Avenue in Moses Lake

- On March 10 between 2:20 p.m.-5:50 p.m. at Samaritan CareToday Family Care, 1550 South Pioneer Way in Moses Lake

- On March 11 between 2:15 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at Samaritan Hospital Emergency Department, 2000 South Clover Drive in Moses Lake

- On March 12/13 between 9:05 p.m.-12:10 a.m. at Samaritan Hospital Emergency Department, 2000 South Clover Drive in Moses Lake

All of the public exposure windows given by the Health District include periods of potential contagion prior to the children being diagnosed and the timeframes provided include an additional two hours following their actual presence at the locations when contraction of the illness was still possible.

Health officials say anyone who was at the locations during the hours of potential contagion could have been exposed to measles.