Measles Outbreak Update

[UPDATE 4/1/2019: The last update on the measles outbreak we had was good news about no new infections, people being able to leave quarantine, and waiting to make sure no new symptomatic people/cases popped up. That deadline has passed and the outbreak is officially over. The News-Gazette had a short article here. Relevant excerpt:

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District waited out two full 21-day incubation periods since the onset of the last measles case before closing the book on an outbreak that included more than two dozen people being quarantined and more than 1,000 people being interviewed after being potentially exposed to the disease.

With no new cases in 42 days, district communicable disease investigator Rachella Thompson-Brown said the Champaign County outbreak can be considered over as of this past Monday.

In all, the measles outbreak that began in the county in January included four confirmed cases. Others quarantined had been exposed to measles and couldn't verify their immunity.

More at that article here. Today the News-Gazette had additional information about there already being more U.S. measles cases in the beginning of 2019 than all of last year. More on that here.]

The local measles outbreak appears to be mostly over as the last quarantined cases of exposed people failed to develop symptoms. The official end of the outbreak is defined a bit further into the future if there aren't any new cases. From the News-Gazette today:

Measles, cabin fever both stayed away during Mahomet woman's quarantine
...
Susi was one of 26 people quarantined during the Champaign County measles outbreak that began Jan. 19. She and others who were the last people remaining in quarantine were free to leave their homes as of today after going 21 full days without developing measles.

The health district won't officially declare the measles outbreak over until later this month, after two full 21-day cycles have passed following the last known exposure date, Feb. 11. That's provided that no new cases develop in the upcoming weeks.

Containing the measles outbreak to four cases has been a labor-intensive effort for health officials, local medical providers and others, according to Julie Pryde, the public health district's administrator.

It included identifying and making public all the public places the four measles patients had been during the eight days they were considered to be infectious — four days before a rash appeared and four days after — and interviewing more than 1,000 people who had been exposed.

Full article here. It gets into more details about the expenses that went into the process and future estimates of how much the outbreak cost taxpayers. It explains the difference in terminology between "isolation," or isolating people who are sick with an infectious disease and the more rare quarantines. Quarantines separate people who may have been exposed to an infectious disease to wait to see if they become ill. There's also additional facts and myths about vaccines, what constitutes an outbreak, and how measles spreads and its dangers.

The above is the most current update, though there were a couple updates in the past month when this website wasn't updated. For people interested in the chronology of the outbreak and public information on cases, testing, and statuses here are the dates and links:

• News-Gazette 1/24/2019 (web), 1/25/2019 (print version): Case of measles reported in C-U with several possible exposure sites
• News-Gazette 1/29/2019: 3-4 more being tested for measles after last week's confirmed case
• News-Gazette 1/30/2019 (web), 1/31/2019 (print version): Tests find six suspected cases aren't measles; no others pending
• News-Gazette 2/3/2019 Second case of measles confirmed in Champaign-Urbana
• News-Gazette 2/5/2019 Flu season is intensifying throughout the area (includes measles update)
• News-Gazette 2/17/2019 (web), 2/18/2019 (print version): Two more measles cases confirmed in Champaign County
• News-Gazette 2/21/2019: Lab results still out in four more suspected measles cases in C-U 
• News-Gazette 3/8/2019 (article referenced at the top of this post): Measles, cabin fever both stayed away during Mahomet woman's quarantine  

There were a couple other related news items on vaccines and infectious diseases unrelated to the measles as well:

• A national shortage of the vaccine for shingles is having an effect on local supplies. There are shortages causing intermittent interruptions in availability at locations in town: The Health Reporter Is In, Feb. 14, 2019
• In a previous post there was also some concern in the Champaign County Jail after a sick inmate was reported to have been coughing up blood and tested positive for tuberculosis. More at that post: County Jail Updates.  

All apologies to germaphobes.


[Updated post. Originally posted 3/8/2019 at 9:35pm.]