Outbreak puts measles under microscope

A rash of measles cases affecting more than 100 people in 14 states is pacing to be the worst outbreak in decades, and is causing concern on the High Desert as health experts say it’s only a matter of time before the disease hits Central Oregon.

St. Charles Redmond pediatrician Dr. Neil Ernst said Tuesday the nation — and Central Oregon — are on the brink of crisis.

“This kills people, this maims people, this puts people in the hospital,” Ernst said.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, 644 cases of measles were reported last year. This year, in the month of January alone, the numbers are already one-sixth of that total.

NewsChannel 21 has put together five facts about measles that health experts say you need to know.

1. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that can can survive outside the body for up to four hours.

“The way it presents is the three Cs,” Ernst said. “Congestion, cough and then conjunctivitis — that is red eyes — and then the rash comes out.”

2. If you get measles, you have a small chance of dying.

Doctors say one to three people per 1,000 will die from infection. There’s also other health complications, ones Deschutes County Communicable Disease Program Supervisor Heather Kaisner said can be life-altering.

“Pneumonia, encephalitis — that is brain damage — ear infections that can cause deafness,” Kaisner said.

Ernst said he has personally treated hundreds of children who were infected with measles in the 80s and 90s.

“I’ve seen children get … horrible brain infections,” Ernst said. “I saw children develop respiratory failure, had to be put on a breathing machine and left with chronic lung disease because of measles.”

3. If you live in Deschutes County, you have a greater risk of getting the measles, but only if you’re not vaccinated.

Kasiner said data shows only 0.5 percent of children skipped immunizations for non-medical reasons in 2000. She said since then, the number of children not vaccinated has steadily increased.

“The Oregon average is a 7 percent exemption rate, and we came up to the double digits last year at 10 percent in Deschutes County,” Kaisner said. “That’s a definite concern — it’s a high number. It’s frustrating, from a public health perspective.”

Ernst said as more people grow vulnerable to measles, it hurts the entire community.

“This is not just about the people who are not being immunized, there is a ripple effect and it’s a public health hazard,” Ernst said. “People who can’t get immunized for medical reasons, babies and people under the age of 5 are more likely to die of this disease, and are also in the process of being immunized.”

4. Measles is preventable, and the vaccine is 98 percent effective.

“It requires two vaccines,” Ernst said. “The first one is given at a year of age and the next one is given some time after that, and I say sometimes because it’s variable when you do it. You can do it as soon as a few months after the first one is given, or some do the second one on entry into school.”

5. The measles vaccination is safe and does not cause autism.

“I’m not just saying it, medical information proves it is not true,” Ernst said. “It’s been refuted multiple times in multiple studies. The measles vaccine does not cause autism.”

Health experts suggest that adults who have not been immunized, or don’t know if they’ve received the vaccine, get at least one dose of the the MMR vaccine.

To schedule a vaccination, you can call the Deschutes County Health Department at (541) 322-7400.