Colorado Measles Outbreak (yes, we are at outbreak status)

Unfortunately, there are additional measles cases to report in Denver and these cases now qualify as an outbreak. It appears that an unvaccinated out-of-state traveler was infectious on a Turkish Airlines flight to Denver on May 13th. This person infected the unvaccinated child that I messaged about last week, as well as a vaccinated adult. The health department has now identified 5 additional cases - two who were on the same plane, and 3 who were present at the airport at the same time as the infectious traveler. This is a total of 7 patients linked to the one unvaccinated traveler. 

Have you been exposed? The state health department is updating its website with all locations, dates, and times where exposure was possible. I will no longer be texting or emailing this information to you as new cases are identified, but I encourage you to check the following link on a regular basis, especially if you are unvaccinated or undervaccinated.

 https://cdphe.colorado.gov/diseases-a-to-z/measles/colorado-exposure-location-information

Measles is extremely contagious.There is a reason why, as we were learning about COVID way back when, we were extremely relieved to find that it was not as infectious as measles.  If a person with measles is exposed to 10 unprotected individuals, up to 9 of them will become infected. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes and can remain in the air and infect someone new for up to 2 hours. It can take 7-14 days after exposure to develop symptoms and you can infect others before you have any symptoms.  Initial symptoms include:

• High fever

• Cough

• Runny nose

• Red, watery eyes 

The “measles rash” starts 3-5 days after the initial symptoms start. The rash will start along the hairline on the face, and then spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. Common measles complications include ear infections, diarrhea, bronchitis and pneumonia.  More serious complications include encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), blindness, or a weakening of the immune system. Click here for more information: https://www.cdc.gov/measles/signs-symptoms/index.html

The best way to protect yourself is to be vaccinated! While you can still get infected if you are vaccinated, you are much less likely to develop severe complications or be hospitalized. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles; a single dose is 93% effective.  In 2000, the CDC declared that measles was eradicated from the US. Fast-forward to 2025 when thus far, a total of 1,088 confirmed measles cases have been reported by 33 states. 96% of these were unvaccinated (or their status was unknown). 12% of those diagnosed with measles this year have been hospitalized. There have been 3 confirmed deaths from measles in the US this year.

Do you need a booster? Currently, if you have documented a single MMR dose, you are considered fully vaccinated by the health department. However, as Colorado is now at the onset of an outbreak, there may be some changes to the guidelines.

Aside from being vaccinated(!!!), making sure your health is optimized gives your body the best chance of fighting off infections. Eat well, get good sleep and stay active.