SEATTLE — Health officials in King County are urging caution following the first confirmed case of measles in Washington state this year.
The King County infant, diagnosed with measles after recent overseas travel, may have exposed others at several locations around the Puget Sound region, including Seattle Children’s, Bellevue Square Mall’s Apple Store, Allegro Pediatrics in Bothell and the Northwest Asthma and Allergy Center in Redmond.
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Dr. James Lewis, health officer at the Snohomish County Health Department, emphasized the contagious nature of measles, stating, “It can be very contagious to people that were just in the same room or building as a case for hours after a person has even left.”
The disease poses the greatest risk to infants, unvaccinated individuals and those with weakened immune systems.
“People who are vaccinated don’t need to be worried, people whose children have gotten two shots don’t need to be worried, but people who are not vaccinated need to be worried,” said Dr. Beth Ebel, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington.
The measles vaccine is typically administered in two doses, the first between 12 to 15 months and the second at 4 years old. The vaccinations provide 97% protection once both shots are administered.
Despite the high protection rate the vaccinations give, some parents remain concerned.
“There’s still a 3% chance of them contracting the disease, and again, I hope that doesn’t happen and it’s less likely, but it’s all risks,” parent Molly Gray told KOMO News.
Parents like Gray are ensuring their children are fully vaccinated.
“We actually just called our doctor to make sure our 4-year-old was fully vaccinated because I think 4 is the age where they can have their second dose and we double-checked because we want them to be as protected as possible,” Gray said.
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Silvia Maggio, another parent, expressed relief at having vaccinated her children but acknowledged the vulnerability of others.
“We got the alerts about where that child had been, and we had also been to the ER at Seattle Children’s in recent weeks,” said Maggio. “I feel grateful that we’ve had the opportunity to get those MMR vaccinations out of the way but there are a lot of vulnerable children who don’t have that opportunity.”
Health officials advise checking vaccination status and recommend contacting a doctor before visiting if exposure or symptoms are suspected to prevent further spread.
In 2024, King County reported three measles cases.
It’s a respiratory disease caused by one of the world’s most contagious viruses. The virus is airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It most commonly affects kids.
“On average, one infected person may infect about 15 other people,” said Scott Weaver, a center of excellence director for the Global Virus Network, an international coalition. “There’s only a few viruses that even come close to that.”
Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.
The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.
There’s no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.
People who have had measles once can’t get it again, health officials say.
Can measles be fatal?
It usually doesn’t kill people, but it can.
Common complications include ear infections and diarrhea. But about 1 in 5 unvaccinated Americans who get measles are hospitalized, the CDC said. Pregnant women who haven’t gotten the vaccine may give birth prematurely or have a low-birthweight baby.
Among children with measles, about 1 in every 20 develops pneumonia, the CDC said, and about one in every 1,000 suffers swelling of the brain called encephalitis — which can lead to convulsions, deafness or intellectual disability.
It’s deadly “in a little less than 1% of cases, mainly in children,” said Weaver, who works at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. “Children develop the most severe illness. The cause of death in these kinds of cases is usually pneumonia and complications from pneumonia.”
How can you prevent measles?
The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.
“Before a vaccine was developed in the 1960s, everybody got” measles, Weaver said. “But then when the vaccine came along, that was a complete game-changer and one of the most successful vaccines in the history of medicine.”
There is “great data” on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, he said, because it’s been around for decades.
“Any of these outbreaks we’re seeing can easily be prevented by increasing the rate of vaccination in the community,” he said. “If we can maintain 95% of people vaccinated, we’re not going to see this happening in the future. And we’ve slipped well below that level in many parts of the country.”
Vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic, and most states are below the 95% vaccination threshold for kindergartners — the level needed to protect communities against measles outbreaks.
Do you need a booster if you got the MMR vaccine a while ago?
Health care professionals are sometimes tested for antibodies to measles and given boosters if necessary, Weaver said — even if they’ve already had the standard two doses as a child.
He said people at high risk for infection who got the shots many years ago may also want to consider getting a booster if they live in an area with an outbreak. Those may include family members living with someone who has measles or those especially vulnerable to respiratory diseases because of underlying medical conditions.
“But I don’t think everyone needs to go and run out to their doctor right now if they did receive two doses as a child,” he said. “If people would just get the standard vaccination, none of this would be happening.”
Associated Press reporter Laura Ungar contributed to this report.
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