Health District Ends Measles Investigation in Gooding County
GOODING, Idaho – South Central Public Health District says it is ending a multi-week long measles investigation in Gooding County.
In April, nearly 50 people from Gooding were exposed to the virus while in Seattle. A team of nurses and epidemiologists interviewed each person and monitored their health over the past couple of weeks, the health district said in a news release on Thursday morning.
“None of the patients developed measles symptoms and the incubation period is now over,” said Public Health Division Administrator Cheryle Becker. “That means there is no more measles risk for the group unless they are exposed to the disease again.”
Forty-two of the 48 people exposed to measles had at least one vaccination. The remaining six patients were confident they had also received the vaccination, but did not have an immunization record.
The health district said with summer’s travel season approaching measles could still spread easily as Idahoans visit other locales and people. It said the best way to protect against the virus is through immunization0.
“Immunization is likely the reason none of these people got sick,” Becker said. “By the time you start showing symptoms, it is too late to vaccinate. That’s why we urge families to immunize before an outbreak hits their community. The fact that most, if not all, of these travelers were immunized may have protected our entire community from a measles outbreak.”