An Idaho man has contracted measles, and public health officials are working to contact anyone who may have been exposed to the disease.
The man was not vaccinated, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare said in a news release Wednesday afternoon. He was hospitalized for a while but is now recovering at home.
“Currently, measles is very rare in Idaho and the United States, primarily due to mass vaccination,” said Dr. Christine Hahn, medical director for the Idaho Department of Public Health. The state has reported just three cases in the past two decades.
“This is not something we see very often, but when we do see it, we worry about spread among those who are not vaccinated. For those of us who are vaccinated, we don’t have to worry,” he added.
Hahn said people with measles are contagious about four days before they develop symptoms. The Idaho man was at the Boise Airport on Sept. 13 and in the Nampa metropolitan area on Sept. 14 and 15 while he was infected. The measles virus can survive in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves their location and is so contagious that up to 90 percent of unvaccinated people become infected.
The Department of Health and Welfare said public health workers and local districts are working to identify people who may have been exposed to the man. Symptoms of measles include fever, runny nose, cough and rash. Public health officials say people who have been exposed should contact a medical provider and monitor for symptoms for 21 days.
“There are no other known cases at this time, and we just learned about this case yesterday,” Hahn said, adding that it could take about a week for health authorities to determine whether there are additional cases.
Measles vaccine is usually given in two doses in childhood as part of a combination vaccine that also protects against mumps and rubella.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 2021-2022, the most recent statistics available, show that less than 84% of Idaho kindergarten children are fully vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella during the school year. By comparison, the national rate is about 93%.
Measles is an airborne disease that often causes a cough, red eyes and facial rash. Serious complications occur mainly in children under 5 years old and adults over 30 years old, and include blindness, encephalitis and pneumonia.
