The measles outbreak in Washington state has affected 19 people so far, most of them being unvaccinated individuals. One of them attended the Trail Blazers’ game in Portland last Jan. 11, possibly exposing over 19,000 people to measles.

Measles Outbreak

Authorities in Clark County, Washington are continuous in their investigations over the ongoing measles outbreak that has so far affected 19 individuals. So far, apart from the 19 confirmed cases, there are also seven suspected cases since Jan. 1.

Fifteen of the cases were of children aged 1 to 10 years, while three of the cases were of individuals 11 to 18 years old, and one case of an individual 19 to 29 years old, which was actually the first adult case in the outbreak and one of the newest cases as well. Of the affected, 16 were found to be not vaccinated, while the remaining three have unverified vaccination statuses.

Possible Measles Exposure

There are multiple locations in which the affected individuals might have exposed others to the measles virus, including health care facilities, schools, and other facilities such as churches, stores, and an airport. The full list of locations may be found at Clark County Public Health’s website, and anyone who may have been exposed and believes they have symptoms of measles is advised to call a health care provider before going to a facility so as to avoid exposing others as well.

Unless there is an emergency, people who believe they have measles should not go directly to medical clinics, emergency departments, or urgent care centers without calling in advance, especially since measles is so contagious that it can linger in the air even if the sick person has gone.

Portland Trail Blazers Game 

Among the list of locations where there might have been a potential measles exposure is the Moda Center in Portland last Jan. 11. Evidently, one of the individuals with a confirmed measles case attended the Trail Blazers basketball game that day, and anyone who was in the building between 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. might have been exposed. There were 19,393 people in attendance during the game.

No other Oregon residents have been diagnosed with measles in relation to the Clark County outbreak, but there were several people with measles who visited several sites in Portland while they were contagious.