Rash Of Measles Plagues Southwestern Washington

A measles outbreak continues to spread in southwestern Washington despite the best efforts of public health workers to stem its tide.

“This is a major outbreak,” Dr. Karen Steingart, health officer for the Southwest Washington Health District, said last week. “Things are happening so quickly, it’s hard to keep up with it.”

The number of cases in Clark County climbed to at least 47 over the weekend, including a restaurant worker and an employee at an Interstate 5 weigh station who could have exposed hundreds of people to the highly contagious disease.

The first confirmed case in the outbreak of measles infections was detected April 25 in a high-school student. But adults have contracted most of the cases.

Among the latest cases, the health district said, a worker at the Vancouver Mall McDonald’s restaurant is suspected of having the disease. The district warned people who ate there last Monday or last Wednesday to watch for signs of measles.

A worker at the Ridgefield port of entry truck scale also was diagnosed with measles, possibly exposing hundreds of people from May 21 to May 24.