THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED — Clallam gets fourth case of measles: the brother of girl already stricken — https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20150220/NEWS/302209964
PORT ANGELES — A third case of measles has been confirmed on the North Olympic Peninsula.
All three cases are in Port Angeles.
The patient, a 43-year-old Port Angeles man, has been quarantined since Feb. 5 — including the period in which he was infectious — because he was a personal acquaintance of a 52-year-old man who was the first in Clallam County to be confirmed to have measles.
The latter man, also of Port Angeles, was diagnosed with measles Feb. 1 and was hospitalized at Olympic Medical Center. He has since recovered.
Clallam County Health and Human Services said Thursday the 43-year-old man’s diagnosis was confirmed by test results late Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a 5-year-old girl who is a student at Olympic Christian School in Port Angeles remains quarantined with measles.
No cases have been confirmed in Jefferson County.
Paul Throne, manager for health promotion and communication in the Office of Immunization of the state Department of Health, said Thursday she was exposed to the 52-year-old man at the Lower Elwha Health Clinic, 243511 W. U.S. Highway 101, Port Angeles.
He had been there an hour before while he was contagious. The measles virus is airborne and can stay in a room for up to two hours after an infected person has left.
The girl’s diagnosis led Clallam County health authorities to order the quarantine of non-immunized students at Olympic Christian School, 43 O’Brien Road, Port Angeles, until Feb. 27.
An unknown number of other people may have measles in Clallam County, state and county health officials said Thursday.
The number is uncertain because private health care providers as well as public health authorities can submit blood tests to the state Department of Health laboratories in the Seattle suburb of Shoreline.
Public health authorities learn of such cases only if measles is confirmed.
That the 43-year-old man did not spread measles was attributed to his adherence to quarantine, his daily reports to public health nurses and his cooperation, said Dr. Jeanette Stehr-Green, Clallam County health officer.
Personnel at the tribal clinic had no immediate comment Thursday about the case or what precautions they might take to combat the spread of measles.
Immunized people can neither contract measles nor spread it to others.
Children require two vaccinations about a month apart to get full immunity.
Adults born after 1956 usually require one vaccination. Adults born before 1957 generally are thought to be immune.
People with measles can spread the disease to others from four days before the infected people develop the ailment’s telltale rash. They remain contagious for four days after the rash appears.
Clallam County Health and Human Services’ Public Health Section will continue with no-cost clinics from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at 111 Third St., Port Angeles.
Additional no-cost clinics are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, 8:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27.
People can call 360-417-2274 to make appointments. Walk-ins will be served but may face a wait.
Including administrative and injection fees, the shots normally cost $112.
Health and Human Services officials are evaluating when and where to have clinics outside of the Port Angeles area, said Iva Burks, director of the department.
All parents are encouraged to check the vaccination status of children, she said.
Meanwhile, OMC’s “most famous tent in the nation” has seen at least four suspected measles patients since it was erected Feb. 11, the hospital’s top doctor said Wednesday.
It was not known if any of the cases have been confirmed.
More people probably will visit the yellow shelter outside OMC’s waiting room, Dr. Scott Kennedy told hospital commissioners.
“It seems most likely we will see more cases before this is over,” he said of the measles outbreak that became public when a Port Angeles-area man was diagnosed with the disease at OMC on Super Bowl Sunday.
Regarding the temporary enclosure, “this is probably the most famous tent in the nation right now,” Kennedy said, explaining that its function wasn’t to delay care but to keep possibly unprotected people safe from the measles virus.
“The tent is not to prevent patients who need to come in,” Kennedy said. “It’s a triage tent. We have signage that says, ‘Measles alert.’”
People who suspect they have measles should not enter OMC’s emergency room or any other health care facility where they could infect other people.
Instead, they should call ahead to their health care providers for advice on where and how to receive a measles examination. A blood test can confirm immunity.
In Jefferson County, residents can call the Jefferson Healthcare Primary Care Clinic, 360-379-8031, which has extended its hours to provide immunizations to unvaccinated children.
Forks Community Hospital has posted signs asking patients who have symptoms or known exposure to measles to stay outside and call for medical assistance at 360-374-6271.
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Reporter James Casey can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jcasey@peninsuladailynews.com.
