State and county public health officials have flagged two Salem health care locations as possible measles exposure sites and are urging anyone who was there during specific time windows to double-check vaccination records and keep an eye out for symptoms. Exposures in medical waiting rooms are especially worrisome because measles spreads through the air and can hang around after a sick person leaves. Officials say that anyone who thinks they were present during the listed windows should call a health care provider before showing up in person so staff can reduce the risk to other patients.
Marion County officials told KOIN that the sites of concern are the emergency department waiting room at Salem Health Hospital, with possible exposures on March 16 between 6:10 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and the upper level of the Kaiser Permanente Skyline medical office, with possible exposures on March 13 between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Those windows are the focus of Marion County’s contact tracing, and county staff are advising people who were there to confirm their immunity and report any symptoms to a provider.
The Oregon Health Authority declared a measles outbreak in February and has warned that wastewater monitoring and case reports indicate the virus is circulating in parts of the state, according to the Oregon Health Authority. The agency notes that symptoms typically start seven to 21 days after exposure and that infected people are contagious for about four days before a rash appears and up to four days afterward. Measles virus particles can also linger in the air for up to two hours, which raises the risk for anyone who walks into a waiting room after an infectious person has already left…