Yakima County Officials Monitor Measles Cases as Outbreak is Declared

Don't freak out especially if you're vaccinated but the state has declared a measles outbreak in Snohomish County with six infected patients.

MORE STATE RESIDENTS EXPOSED

Five of the patients are under 18 and were unvaccinated, while the sixth patient is an adult whose vaccination status is unknown. Health officials say all the patients were from the same household, and there's no evidence measles is spreading in public places in the county. And now another county is also dealing with an outbreak this time in Clark County.

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A CASE COULD BE DISCOVERED IN YAKIMA AT ANYTIME BUT NONE SO FAR

Officials from the Washington State Department of Health Health District and Yakima Health District say while there are no local cases reported they're closely monitoring the situation. There's good news about Yakima County and Washington state. According to the Washington State Department of Health a community needs a minimum of 90% of its members to be vaccinated to help prevent measles outbreaks. They say in Washington State 98.5% of K-12 students have been immunized against the disease.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS TO WATCH FOR?

How do you know if you have Measles? Doctors say measles often starts with a cough, high fever, runny nose, red watery eyes followed by a red rash.
They say the best defense is the MMR vaccine with two doses seeing about a 98% prevention rate.

MEASLES SPREAD FAST

Measles is a highly contagious viral illness spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can remain in the air for up to two hours in an isolated space.
Check with your doctor to make sure you are protected with the MMR vaccine.
Measles had previously been declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.