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WA measles outbreak could spread; Spokane health district warns of 'recipe for disaster'

Spokane County health officials are expecting the measles outbreak in Western Washington to move across the state.

Spokane Regional Health District is already preparing for the real possibility that a measles outbreak in Western Washington could travel to the Inland Northwest.

“When we see any communicable disease outbreaks, we work with the CDC and the state department of health to look for any emerging disease threats. Certainly when it’s closer to home, it definitely gets our attention,” SRHD spokesperson Kim Papich said.

There are now more than two dozen confirmed cases of measles in Washington state, according to the state Department of Public Health. Other cases are suspected but not confirmed. 

One case is confirmed in a King County man in his 50s. The other confirmed cases are out of Clark County in Southwest Washington, mostly in unvaccinated children under the age of 18.

Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency today in all counties in response to the measles outbreak.

“Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease that can be fatal in small children,” Inslee said in his proclamation. “The existence of 26 confirmed cases in the state of Washington creates an extreme public health risk that may quickly spread to other counties.”

Inslee's proclamation directs state agencies and departments to utilize state resources and do everything reasonably possible to assist affected areas. A proclamation is also necessary to utilize the Emergency Management Assistance Compact to request additional medical resources from other states.

Papich said SRHD has both outbreak management and risk assessment plans in place. If cases begin to cross the Cascades, the health district would activate its incident command in the area. This allows the health district to place individuals in different roles, begin epidemiology investigations, and send documents to parents and schools.

Health officials typically see five measles cases a year or less, according to state Department of Health epidemiologist Scott Lindquist. He said officials are expecting the outbreak to move across the state and Papich also believes this is a real possibility.

“With the sheer volume of cases…I think that’s a pretty safe assumption that we would see it across the state. We know that we’ve got pockets of unvaccinated individuals across the state, too, which is a recipe for disaster,” Papich said.

“We need the public’s help in keeping this outbreak to a minimum and that is them getting vaccinated,” she continued.

RELATED: WHO lists anti-vaxxers as one of the top ten threats to global health in 2019

For the 2017-18 school year, between 79 and 83 percent of kindergartners in Spokane County had their required vaccinations and around 2 percent had immunization exemptions, according to state Department of Health data. Between three and six percent were out of compliance with school immunization requirements.

Between 87 and 90 percent of Spokane County students in grades K-12 had their required immunizations for their 2017-18 school year, according to data. 

RELATED: Most Washington schools are failing to meet state's target for vaccinations

Measles is a highly contagious viral illness spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can remain in the air for up to two hours in an isolated space.

Those who may have been exposed should watch for early symptoms of fever and malaise and then a rash starting on the head and moving down the body

While many people feel like measles are not a big deal, officials are concerned because serious complications such as pneumonia and brain infections can arise, Lindquist said.

There have been several recent measles outbreaks in the Spokane area, according to Papich. 

In 2015, Spokane County saw two measles case, which resulted in hundreds of investigations among those who were potentially exposed in public. In 2016, three Whitworth students were exposed to measles while traveling abroad. 

“As soon as you have an active case and they go anywhere in public, it makes it exponentially harder,” she added. 

During an outbreak in Aug. 2018, 107 people in 21 states across the United States contracted measles, according to the CDC. Those states included Washington and Oregon.

RELATED: CDC monitoring measles outbreak in 21 states, including Washington

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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