Board of Health elects chair, hears new federal dietary guidance and measles exposure update
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Summary
The Cowlitz County Board of Health elected Kelly Lane as chair and Karen Joyner as vice chair, and Health Officer Steve Craig reviewed newly released federal dietary guidance and reported local exposures linked to a Clark County measles case involving Ridgefield High School; public health staff outlined monitoring and testing steps.
The Cowlitz County Board of Health elected Kelly Lane as chair and Karen Joyner as vice chair during its first meeting of the year. The board then received a public‑health briefing from Health Officer Steve Craig on new federal dietary guidance and recent measles exposures.
Craig said the new federal guidance moves away from the old food pyramid toward a shorter visual that emphasizes fruits and vegetables, protein (including a discussion of full‑fat dairy), limits on added sugars for children, and a focus on limiting highly processed foods. He noted strengths in the guidance — including attention to life‑course nutrition and reduced added sugar for children — and flagged ambiguities, such as the guidance’s saturated‑fat messaging and the lack of a precise definition for “highly processed” foods. Craig told the board that school lunch programs, SNAP and WIC implementation could be affected and that federal guidance may create opportunities to fund scratch‑cooking capacity in school kitchens.
On infectious disease, Craig said there has been a recent national uptick in measles with clusters in other states and that Clark County announced a case last week in Ridgefield. Public health staff notified the board they identified Cowlitz County residents who were exposed at Ridgefield High School and that the health department is working to confirm the size of the exposure, advise potentially exposed people to stay home while monitoring for symptoms, and arrange testing when indicated. Craig recommended that people who suspect measles call ahead before visiting a health facility so clinics can avoid exposing waiting rooms and can isolate and mask patients if necessary.
Board members asked about incubation periods, outbreak definitions and practical steps the county can use to break chains of transmission. Craig said measles incubation can be up to 21 days and that public‑health investigators define an outbreak in measles as three or more linked cases. He also described routine infection‑prevention messaging (hand‑washing, calling ahead to clinics) and reminded members that vaccination or prior infection typically confers long‑term immunity.
Next steps: public health staff will continue case and exposure investigations, notify schools as needed, and report back to the board with any changes in local case counts or recommended community actions.
