KING & SNOHOMISH COUNTIES, Wash. — A Canadian man who visited 16 different places around King and Snohomish Counties is the sixth measles exposure this year in an area that typically sees one or two a year.
“It’s definitely very concerning,” Elysia Gonzales, an epidemiologist with King County Public Health. “Right now, though, we do not have an outbreak of measles here in Washington. Most of the cases have been related to international travel.”
The Canadian man was at Seattle-Tacoma Airport on May 3. Gonzales expects more cases to be linked to airports ahead of the summer travel season.
“There is a risk for a case potentially being exposed internationally or somewhere else in the U.S coming in and then transmitting it to others in our county,” Gonzalez said.
Health experts recommend checking vaccination rounds and getting immunized at least two weeks before travel in order to build immunity.
With so many locations, Snohomish County Health Department Director of Prevention Services Katie Curtis said public health experts are casting a wide net for people who were at the exposed locations at the same time as the infected man was.
“Unfortunately, with measles, you are contagious for days before your rash shows up and then four days after,” Curtis said, “If you don’t quite realize it—you’ve been exposed or that you’re sick—you could transmit it and not know.
Both Curtis and Gonzales say the risk for people is low as long as they are up to date with both doses of the MMR vaccine.
“There was a lot of information that came out during COVID about is the vaccine safe? Is it not safe? But it goes through rigorous testing, and it’s a vaccine that has been used for years.” Curtis said.
The National Institutes of Health reports a decline in MMR vaccination rates, something health experts around the country have warned can contribute to more people getting sick.
In Washington, three of the six cases have been in infants, typically younger than the recommendation of 12 months for young ones to get the first dose of the immunization. Curtis says parents can ask to get the first round earlier if they have travel plans and make sure others who are traveling with the infant to be up to date on shots as well.
“Do a little research on where you’re going to find out if there are any outbreaks, not only of measles, but there can be some late cases of flu out and about. And, wash your hands all the time.”
A complete list of locations and exact times can be found in our previous coverage.
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