State health officials have confirmed a single case of measles in an unvaccinated teenager from the Kenai Peninsula who traveled recently to Arizona via Seattle.
This makes Alaska the 29th state to have a confirmed case of measles in 2019, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services officials said on July 16.
Only people who may have been exposed and are not already immune to measles either by adequate immunization or from having the disease in the past are at immediate risk, DHSS said.
Some people may have been exposed to measles through this confirmed case.
A list of possible exposure locations, including dates and times, is posted on the DHSS measles website, dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Epi/id/Pages/measles/default.aspx, which will be updated regularly as more information becomes available.
Known exposure locations during the infectious period when measles can spread to other people include Froso’s Family Dining in Soldotna, from July 8-9 and July 11-13, and Urgent Care of Soldotna and Central Peninsula Hospital on July 14. The patient has been isolated at home since then and is recovering.
The current measles vaccination, MMR vaccine, is considered safe and highly effective and, unlike for mumps, a booster shot is not needed for adults who were effectively vaccinated as children.
