PORT TOWNSEND — If any cases of measles occur in East Jefferson County, Jefferson Healthcare hospital officials may erect a quarantine tent like the one at Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles.
No cases of measles had been confirmed in Jefferson County as of Saturday. Four cases have been confirmed in Clallam County. All are from Port Angeles.
Three Jefferson County residents presenting with rashes were tested for the measles virus, but none had the highly contagious disease, said Laura Flowers, the hospital’s infection preventionist.
She said at least one of the people tested was a child.
If a case is discovered, the hospital’s treatment protocol will intensify, perhaps leading to the opening of a quarantine tent like the yellow shelter OMC erected Feb. 11 to screen possible measles cases.
“We are most concerned about people who have symptoms turning up unannounced,” Flowers said.
“It’s very important that they call ahead so we can bring them into another entrance and isolate them from other patients or people in the waiting room.”
A person suspected to have measles is given a three-stage test consisting of a nasal swab, a urine sample and a blood test.
The blood test is the least conclusive for measles infection, Flowers said.
“We can tell from the nasal and urine tests whether someone has the disease. The blood test tells us if they have immunity,” she said.
The hospital sends tests to the University of Washington’s Shoreline lab. This is a state requirement to allow accurate tracking of the disease, Flowers said.
“We want to make sure that whenever someone shows up for testing that we have a consistent response,” she said.
Flowers said initial measles symptoms are subtle and resemble other ailments.
At first, the disease appears to be a cold. The person has a runny nose, watery eyes and a fever.
After four days, a rash appears.
A rash isn’t a conclusive sign of measles, Flowers said. Only a test can accurately document it.
Patients are contagious from the time of their exposure until four days after a rash appears, for a total of about nine days, according to Lisa McKenzie, Jefferson County’s infectious disease specialist.
McKenzie said there is no mechanism to enforce quarantine in the county.
Those who believe they have measles or who have been tested are advised to stay home and minimize their contact with others even if test results have not arrived.
On Feb. 11, the Jefferson County Public Health Department prepared a letter for all parents of school-age children in the county.
The letter said if an outbreak of measles occurs in a school, unvaccinated children will be kept out of classes for 21 days after the last possible day of exposure.
Those who have had the disease are immune for life, McKenzie said.
Anyone born prior to 1957 has an assumed immunity, she said.
A person who is unsure about his or her vaccination history can get an additional vaccination.
The measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine is administered to children in two doses. Adults born after 1957 may need one dose.
Flowers said adults who are unsure if they are immune can be tested for immunity, but those tests are expensive and not always covered by insurance.
She recommended simply getting vaccinated.
Flowers said she is aware of some controversy surrounding vaccinations but that from her standpoint as a health official, there is no reason children should not be vaccinated.
“I feel that the process we have is safe and effective,” she said.
“Getting vaccinated is the responsible thing to do. It benefits yourself and your family.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta says on its website at www.cdc.gov that a study published in the March 29, 2013, edition of Journal of Pediatrics found no link between vaccines and autism.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
