Possible measles exposure reported at Weston emergency department

Health officials are investigating a confirmed measles case after a person visited the emergency department at Marshfield Medical Center – Weston, the Marathon County Health Department said, according to WSAW. The possible exposure occurred between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at 3400 Ministry Parkway in Weston.

The Marathon County Health Department and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services are working to identify and notify people who may have been exposed. Wausau Pilot & Review reported that Friday’s notice is the first public exposure location named in Marathon County since the county’s first measles case was confirmed in September.

People who were at the emergency department during that time and are immune because of vaccination or a past measles infection are well protected and at low risk of infection, WSAW reported. They should monitor for symptoms and call a health care provider if they develop a fever or rash.

People who are not immune should talk to a health care provider about whether vaccination or medication after exposure is recommended, especially if they are at high risk of complications. Anyone who develops measles symptoms should stay home and avoid work, school, shopping and public transportation, and should notify their health care provider before visiting so precautions can be taken.

For people who were at the emergency department during the exposure window and are not immune, symptoms would likely appear between Nov. 11 and Nov. 25. People with weakened immune systems may experience symptoms sooner.

The Marathon County Health Department will offer a vaccination clinic from 10 a.m. to noon Sunday, Nov. 8, at the health department. Attendees should park in Lot D or E and enter through Door 28. People who were at the emergency department during the exposure window and do not have immunity from vaccination or a past infection are eligible to receive the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine at the clinic. Vaccines will be provided at no cost, interpretation services will be available and insurance information is not needed.

For people who were exposed and are not immune, receiving the MMR vaccine within 72 hours of exposure may protect against measles or result in a milder illness. Wausau Pilot & Review noted that for anyone exposed Thursday, that window closes Sunday afternoon.

Symptoms generally begin seven to 21 days after exposure and can include a runny nose, a high fever that may exceed 104 degrees, tiredness, a cough and red, watery eyes. A red rash with raised bumps begins at the hairline and spreads to the arms and legs three to five days after symptoms start. Measles is contagious from about four days before the rash appears through four days after it begins.

Complications can occur even among healthy people. Infants and children younger than 5, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems are at highest risk. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97% effective and provide long-lasting protection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The health department said the community will be notified if additional public exposure locations are identified or measles-associated deaths are confirmed. Wisconsin measles data is updated Tuesdays and Fridays.

Wausau Pilot & Review reported that DHS lists six confirmed cases in Marathon County as of Nov. 3, and that statewide Wisconsin had recorded 431 cases in 13 counties this year as of Nov. 3, the most in more than 35 years, with nine people hospitalized. DHS says nearly everyone infected was not vaccinated. The outlet also reported an infant’s death linked to the southwestern Wisconsin outbreak, the state’s first measles death since 1990. Health officials have not said whether the person who went to the Weston emergency department lives in Marathon County, whether the case adds to the county’s total or how the person was infected.