Spokane seems to have dodged measles outbreak as no new cases reported from Sacred Heart exposures

New measles cases in Spokane related to last month’s exposures are unlikely, according to local health officials.

The tentative all-clear comes after two children in North Idaho and a Spokane child contracted measles in August. Exposures from two of those patients seeking care at Sacred Heart did not cause any more cases.

“We are outside of the incubation period for the initial exposures that occurred at Sacred Heart. We have not heard of any subsequent cases in North Idaho and the wastewater surveillance program in Coeur d’Alene has not detected measles since the earlier positive signals,” Spokane Regional Health District epidemiologist Mark Springer said in an email Monday.

“It is possible that there may be cases where medical attention was not sought but that is unlikely. We are optimistic that the response efforts with Providence and the high level of cooperation that we have seen with exposed persons that we may have avoided a larger transmission event or outbreak.”

A spokesperson at Idaho’s Panhandle Health District also confirmed no one else had been diagnosed in their five-county region.

Health officials across the two states were initially concerned a broader outbreak might occur because it was unknown how the two Idaho patients contracted the disease raising the possibility some undiagnosed person was unknowingly spreading measles.

But since the Aug. 25 case in Spokane, no other infections have been reported in the region.

Measles often presents with a high fever, runny nose and a cough. But it is distinguished by a rash that appears three to five days after initial symptoms – starting on the face and then moving down the body. The disease is so infectious because someone can spread it up to four days before the characteristic rash appears, which typically happens seven-to-14 days after exposure.

If a person thinks they were exposed to measles, or is experiencing symptoms, call ahead to the clinic or health care provider so measures can be taken to protect others.