Ottawa County Health Department: measles cases rising regionally; no local cases yet

County public health officials told commissioners that measles cases are increasing in surrounding jurisdictions but that there were no confirmed cases in Ottawa County as of April 10, and described preparedness and prevention steps.

Dr. Gwen Unzicker, a family physician with the health department, gave the update and said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported hundreds of cases nationally; Michigan had four confirmed cases (Oakland, Kent, Macomb and Montcalm counties) and an outbreak in Ontario. Measles is highly contagious, Dr. Unzicker said: up to 90% of exposed, susceptible people can become infected, and the virus can remain airborne for two hours after an infected person leaves a space.

The department has been working with health-care providers and school districts to ensure guidance and response plans are in place, to verify vaccine supplies and to coordinate possible preventive treatment. Dr. Unzicker summarized possible actions if exposures occur: (a) MMR vaccine given within 72 hours of exposure can prevent or mitigate disease in susceptible people; (b) immunoglobulin is an option for certain high-risk groups up to six days after exposure; (c) temporarily excluding exposed non-immune individuals from shared airspace (including school) for the incubation period (measles incubation can be up to 21 days) is an established, protective public-health measure.

Health staff described steps to reduce strain on waiver processing (the local health department provides education visits for medical and nonmedical waivers) and said MDHHS is working on an online waiver education module to reduce August bottlenecks when many waivers are requested before school starts. Officials reiterated that the department honors Michigan’s nonmedical waiver process while encouraging families to consult providers and consider public-health consequences; staff also said that if exclusion is required after exposure, the department seeks to minimize disruption and coordinate with schools to support students’ learning while excluded.

Ending: Health department staff said they will continue to monitor nearby outbreaks, coordinate with MDHHS and local providers, ensure vaccine supplies, and keep commissioners informed; they encouraged residents to check vaccination status and contact a health-care provider before visiting a clinic if they suspect exposure.