Wisconsin health officials are warning that anyone who was in the emergency department at Marshfield Medical Center in Weston, Wisconsin, on Thursday afternoon may have been exposed to measles. Marathon County is offering free MMR vaccinations on Sunday morning for people who were there and are not immune.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) said in a news release that it and the Marathon County Health Department are jointly investigating the exposure. A person with confirmed measles visited the emergency department at 3400 Ministry Parkway between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 5, while able to spread the virus. Health officials are working to identify and notify people who may have been there. The investigation is ongoing, and DHS said any new exposure locations will be posted on its outbreaks webpage.
What officials are asking people to do
DHS asked anyone who was at the emergency department during that window to check their vaccination status through the Wisconsin Immunization Registry, their health care provider or their local health department. They should watch for symptoms for 21 days after exposure, which runs through Thanksgiving. Early symptoms include fever, cough, a runny nose and red, watery eyes, with a rash usually appearing a few days later.
People who develop symptoms should stay home and call their doctor’s office or clinic before visiting, so staff can take precautions. The county said people who are immune through vaccination or past infection are well protected and at low risk.
The vaccine window closes soon
According to WSAW, which cited the county health department, an MMR vaccine given within 72 hours of exposure may prevent measles or lead to a milder illness. The county will hold a free clinic from 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday, November 8, at the health department. Attendees should park in Lot D or E and enter through Door 28. It is open to people who were in the emergency department during the exposure window and do not have immunity. Interpretation services will be available, and insurance information is not needed.
Wausau Pilot & Review reported that infants, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems may be able to get immune globulin instead, which can be given up to six days after exposure under CDC guidance. People who are not immune would most likely develop symptoms between November 11 and November 25, the county said. Health officials have not said where the infected person lives or how the person caught the virus, the newspaper reported.
A record year for measles in Wisconsin
The exposure comes amid Wisconsin’s worst measles year in decades. As of November 3, DHS had reported 431 cases in 13 counties, the highest total in more than 35 years, with nine people hospitalised. ABC News reported on November 5 that an infant had died of measles, according to the state health department.
Most of the cases are linked to an outbreak in southwestern Wisconsin. DHS has said the Marathon County cases are separate, and a state tally cited by Fox 9 puts Marathon County at six confirmed cases tied to out-of-state travel. The Weston case has not been added to that count in the sources reviewed. The outbreak is part of a wider national resurgence, which Eastern Herald covered in its report that Pennsylvania reported a sixth measles-associated death.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97% effective, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as cited by the county. Anyone unsure of their status should contact a health care provider.
