An unvaccinated child was diagnosed with measles in Eastern Idaho. What we know
An unvaccinated child was diagnosed with measles in Bonneville County, a spokesperson for Eastern Idaho Public Health confirmed with the Idaho Statesman on Friday.
The health district, which covers Bonneville, Clark, Custer, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi, Madison and Teton Counties, said in a news release Wednesday that the child, an international traveler, was seen by a local health care provider for measles symptoms.
The child self-isolated and is no longer contagious, according to the health district.
The health district said it “does not expect exposure to the public, outside of household contacts who are currently being monitored for potential infection.” An investigation into the case is ongoing.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can spread easily through the air and survive for up to two hours after an infected individual has left, according to the health district. If you suspect you or someone in your family has measles, it’s important to contact your health care provider and isolate at home to prevent the spread, the health district said.
Initial symptoms include a fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. A characteristic rash can appear about three to five days later, according to Rachel Mugleston, a registered nurse and health strategies program manager at the health district.
“Although measles is considered a childhood disease, it can be contracted at any age,” the release said.
The health district encouraged residents to check their immunization records. The vaccine for measles is 97% effective, it said.
Children are recommended to get two doses, once when they turn 1-year-old and once before they start kindergarten, at about age 4 or 5. Boosters aren’t needed. But if you can’t remember if you were previously vaccinated, it doesn’t hurt to get the two doses again just to be sure, Dr. Christine Hahn, an epidemiologist at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, previously told the Statesman.
Measles found in North Idaho wastewater
On July 29, the dashboard for WastewaterSCAN, a national wastewater monitoring system based at Stanford University, first reported measles in wastewater treated at the Coeur d’Alene Water Resource Recovery Facility on July 29. Then, on July 31, it reported higher levels of the virus in the wastewater.
But wastewater detection can’t be translated into reporting a case. Hahn said public health officials are unable to say whether it means one or more people in North Idaho had measles.
“Measles is very contagious, and so the wastewater itself is just our canary in the coal mine, as it were, telling us that measles is in the community,” Hahn said. “It’s just one more reminder that measles is still out there circulating.”