In Washington state, officials are also investigating a case in which an adult with measles at Ridgefield High School exposed others while working on campus.

CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. — The Oregon Health Authority and Clackamas County officials say a second measles case was identified in the county. 

People who were at the Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center Emergency Department between 11:28 a.m. and 1:53 p.m. on Jan. 26 may have been exposed, according to officials. 

Those at the location during the date and time should contact their health care provider and let them know they have been exposed to someone with measles. 

The exposure is linked to a new measles case in Clackamas County and is the second case reported within the county this year. The first case was reported on Jan. 16 and linked to an unvaccinated individual. 

In Washington state, Clark County Public Health is also investigating a confirmed measles case, where one adult was contagious while working at Ridgefield High School from Jan. 14-16. 

According to the high school, 47 people have been excluded from campus for 21 days, including 31 people with vaccine exemptions, six students, seven volunteers and three staff members with unverified vaccine records. 


On measles

Measles has been on the rise nationally across several states, with no reported cases having come from international travelers. The highly contagious disease was once considered eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but across recent years, vaccination rates overall have fallen; in Oregon, for instance, last year’s whooping cough cases surpassed a 1950 record. 

Measles spreads through the air whenever an infected person coughs or sneezes; the virus particles can linger in the air for up to two hours after the infected person has left the area, OHA said. People are considered contagious with measles for four days before a rash appears until four days afterward. 

Symptoms usually begin with a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, then a rash that begins on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. Those symptoms usually begin 7-21 days after being exposed to a person with measles.

Anyone experiencing symptoms should call their medical provider before arriving to prevent exposure. 

Infants and children under 5, adults older than 20 years old, pregnant people and those with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable, OHA warned. In recent years in developed countries, 1-2 out of 1,000 measles cases have been fatal. 

Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles, OHA said.Â