Doctors urge vaccination amid Snohomish County measles outbreak

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. - Six: that's the number of measles cases in Snohomish County as officials confirmed three new cases and track what they're calling an outbreak.

Health leaders are urging those who have not been vaccinated to do so immediately.

What they're saying:

Doctors said people born before 1957 or who have had the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine are considered immune. They said it's those who have not been vaccinated that they're concerned about.

"Now, we're at a point where there's likely unrecognized transmission occurring," said Dr. James Lewis.

The number of confirmed measles cases in the Snohomish County outbreak has grown again, now to six.

Dr. James Lewis, the Snohomish County Health Officer, has been tracking the spread.

"This new case that we just found this week is very concerning because we don't know where they were exposed. So that means there are likely cases out there that we don't know about at this point," Lewis said.

The backstory:

The latest case of the highly contagious disease was confirmed on Tuesday, according to Snohomish County health leaders. It involves an unvaccinated child who would have been infectious while attending services at the Slavic Christian Church Awakening in Mukilteo on Jan. 18.

Throughout January, Snohomish County health officials have shared concerns about potential exposure in places including a dentist's office, schools, and a medical facility.

"Measles usually starts with a little bit of a cough, a fever, sore throat, maybe runny nose, red eyes, then you develop a fever, and then you get a rash," Lewis said.

Health officials said earlier this month, they confirmed three other measles cases in local, unvaccinated children leading to the declared outbreak.

They said the children were exposed to a contagious family visiting from South Carolina. That state has the country's largest active measles outbreak.

After the outbreak was announced, officials told FOX 13 News they identified two more Snohomish County cases in two unvaccinated children in a family already isolating due to a positive measles case involving a sibling.

To help you track it all, they have developed an online measles dashboard.

"We're just trying to get the good information out there. One thing, the way I like to think about it is, you wouldn't take your car to a friend who has strong feelings about how cars work, if they're not a mechanic. You'd take it to a mechanic," Lewis said.

What you can do:

Doctors said most people in the county have immunity through vaccination, so risk to the general public is low, but if you have not gotten the two doses of the MMR shot, you are at higher risk.

Officials said measles has an average 10-14 day incubation period from when you're exposed to when symptoms appear.

They said you can spread measles before you have a rash, so call ahead before seeking medical care.

Right now, doctors including Lewis, are watching closely for any new activity hoping the outbreak will taper off.

"It's very concerning. So far, I expected to see more cases than we've seen so far at this point. So that's reassuring, but we're far from out of the woods," Lewis said.

Doctors urge anyone who has not gotten the MMR vaccine to make sure they do. They also said if you are sick, stay home to avoid spreading any illness.

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