Updated
Updated · theoutlookonline.com · Sep 1
Legacy Mount Hood Warns of 3 Measles Exposure Sites as MMR Offers 97% Protection
Updated
Updated · theoutlookonline.com · Sep 1

Legacy Mount Hood Warns of 3 Measles Exposure Sites as MMR Offers 97% Protection

3 articles · Updated · theoutlookonline.com · Sep 1

Summary

  • Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center said measles exposure occurred in its emergency room waiting area and department from 10:04 a.m. to 1:49 p.m. on Aug. 30, part of a three-site alert issued by Oregon and Multnomah County officials.
  • Three Portland-area locations were flagged: Randall Children’s Primary Care on Aug. 25, Randall Children’s Hospital’s emergency waiting room on Aug. 28, and Legacy Mount Hood on Aug. 30.
  • People at those sites during the listed windows were told to check vaccination records, monitor for symptoms for 7 to 21 days, and get an MMR shot quickly if born after 1957 and not immune.
  • Health officials said measles can linger in the air for up to 2 hours after an infected person leaves; two MMR doses are 97% effective, and severe risk is lowest for people up to date on vaccines.
  • Anyone with a rash or other measles symptoms after exposure should call ahead before seeking care to avoid infecting others; Oregon has reported 50 measles cases this year.

Insights

With measles lingering airborne for hours, could you have been silently exposed at a Portland hospital without ever seeing the infected patient?
As US vaccination rates drop below the critical safety threshold, is the recent Portland measles outbreak a warning of a larger nationwide crisis?