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Mason County health officer briefs board on national measles rise and school vaccine rules
Summary
Health Officer Steve Greager told the Mason County Board of Health that measles cases are up nationally and emphasized MMR vaccination for school-age children; public-health immunization events were announced.
Steve Greager, Mason County health officer, told the Board of Health on a county health briefing that measles cases in the United States are higher this year than in most of the past 15 years and that local public health is monitoring outbreaks elsewhere in the country.
“Measles is extremely contagious,” Greager said, explaining that one infected person in a susceptible population can infect 12 to 18 others and that the virus can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infectious person leaves a room. He said complications include hospitalization for pneumonia in about 20 percent of cases among children, and rare but serious outcomes such as encephalitis and death (about one to three per 1,000 infections).
Greager told the board that most U.S. cases are associated with international travel and noted a recent January case in King County linked to travel. He pointed to a large ongoing cluster in Texas that had spread to neighboring states, saying he hoped to see that outbreak slow.
Greager reviewed vaccine effectiveness: the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is roughly 97 percent effective after the two-dose series, given historically at about 12 months and again at 4–6 years, and that nearly all confirmed cases nationally have been in people who were not vaccinated. He urged the board to continue public outreach about vaccination.
Board members asked about school vaccine rules; Greager said MMR is included among vaccines required for public school attendance, and that medical and religious exemptions exist. Mason County Public Health staff later posted that the county will host immunization events in April, May and June and that residents can contact immunization nurse Elizabeth Festus for appointments.
Greager and staff stressed that reported case counts understate total infections because not every symptomatic person seeks care and receives laboratory confirmation. He recommended that residents check local clinic schedules and school requirements and that health providers remain vigilant for suspected cases.
Public-health staff said they will continue outreach and provide materials for schools and clinics if the board requests further community education.
