People who visited Kaiser Permanente’s Lakewood facility on Saturday should monitor themselves for measles symptoms, after a Denver resident who caught the virus while in Mexico sought care there.
The adult patient — Colorado’s fifth confirmed measles case this year — visited the Kaiser urgent care clinic at 8383 W. Alameda Ave. People who spent time in the clinic between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday could have encountered the virus.
Unlike the other four cases in Colorado this year, the latest patient — who had visited an area of Chihuahua, Mexico — had received the measles vaccine, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. One dose of the vaccine is about 93% effective and two are 97% effective, meaning that some people can still get sick after vaccination.
“Cases like this are very rare,” Dr. Ned Calonge, the state health department’s chief medical officer, said in a news release. “Staying up to date on vaccinations and being aware of health risks when traveling are important ways to protect yourself and your community. We’re sharing this information out of an abundance of caution to support early detection and limit the risk of further spread.”
People who get a breakthrough case are less likely to spread the virus than unvaccinated people, but anyone exposed to the virus should watch for symptoms, including a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, Calonge said. If an exposed person develops symptoms, they should call ahead before seeking medical care, so the clinic can keep them away from susceptible patients.
Measles patients can spread the virus for about four days before and four days after the characteristic rash develops. Symptoms can show up seven to 21 days after exposure.
The most recent case is the fourth in Colorado linked to travel to Mexico, where the virus is spreading after an outbreak in Texas spilled across the border. The other three patients were a Pueblo County adult, a Denver infant and a person of unspecified age who lived in the same home as the baby.
An Archuleta County adult also developed measles. That person didn’t travel, and health officials aren’t sure where they got the virus.
Nationwide, 29 states have reported a combined 884 measles cases this year, which is more than triple the total last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The vast majority — 646 — are in Texas, where an outbreak in the western part of the state that’s approaching the three-month mark.
Two unvaccinated elementary school-aged children died from measles-related illnesses in the epicenter in West Texas, and an adult in New Mexico who was not vaccinated died of a measles-related illness.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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