Two people have been confirmed to have measles in King County according to Public Health Seattle and King County, one of them a staff member at Tiger Mountain Community High School in Issaquah.
The newly diagnosed case started at Sea-Tac Airport Jan. 18 when the person was exposed to a contagious traveler. Tiger Mountain principal Michael Schiehser said a letter went out to all parents Jan. 30, along with a measles fact sheet. He said anyone who was exposed to the staff member between January 23 – 25 who is not already immune is at risk. Public Health reported that anyone who was at the Klahanie QFC Jan. 23 – 25 between 3 and 7 p.m. or Jan 29 between noon and 2:30 p.m. was potentially exposed.
Additionally, if anyone was at the Klahanie Starbucks Jan. 26 between 9 and 11:30 a.m. also may have been exposed. If you were in these areas at the times above and are not immune to measles, the most likely time you would become sick is between January 30 and February 19, 2013.
Public Health said measles is a highly contagious and potentially severe disease caused by the measles virus. It is an airborne disease, spread when a person with measles coughs or sneezes. Because most people in our area have immunity to the measles through vaccination, the risk to the general public is low.
However, people who were at the same locations at the same time as the contagious individuals should find out if they have been vaccinated for measles or have had measles previously, and call a health care provider promptly if they develop an illness with fever or illness with an unexplained rash.
The first confirmed measles case was the traveler who made a stop at Sea-Tac Airport on January 18. Persons who were in the same areas as this traveler at Sea-Tac Airport between 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on January 18 were possibly exposed to measles. More information about exposure locations at Sea-Tac Airport is at http://1.usa.gov/SO0esu.
Symptoms of measles include a rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red and watery eyes. For more information about measles, a fact sheet is available in multiple languages at: http://1.usa.gov/VwaLen.
