Measles Update for the Lewis & Clark Community
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Attention Students, Faculty, and Staff:
As you may be aware, Clark County, Washington, and the surrounding areas are experiencing an outbreak of measles. For students who are not familiar with the Portland metro area, Clark County is just across the Columbia River from Portland. As of January 30, there had been only one confirmed case of measles in Portland, and no cases within the Lewis & Clark community. Our staff in the Office of Health Promotion and the Health Service will continue to monitor the situation and provide information to the community as appropriate.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that is spread easily through person to person contact. While the disease is very contagious, there are things you can do to prevent yourself from catching it! First and foremost, most adults will have received two immunizations as children for measles, mumps, and rubella, known as the MMR vaccine. L&C requires students to have two doses of measles vaccine or students may sign a waiver requesting an exemption. So a high percentage of our student population has already been vaccinated against the disease.
If you are a student and are unsure of your measles vaccination status; cannot access your immunization records; or you know you have not been vaccinated against measles, we encourage you to contact the Lewis & Clark Health Service at 503-768-7165. Medical staff there can offer options to test for immunity, administer the vaccine, and provide individual prevention strategies.
Employees with any concerns about their vaccination status should follow up with their health care provider.
There are other strategies everyone can take to minimize the potential transmission of disease, including bothmeasles and seasonal influenza. Remember to wash your hands frequently, and cover your face when you sneeze or cough. If you think you have the measles (click here for a list of symptoms), or believe that you have been exposed, please call your healthcare provider first, before going in to see them. This will help to mitigate the spread of the virus to others, should you be infected.
To stay up to date on locations where there have been reported cases of measles, please check these websites:
https://www.clark.wa.gov/public-health/measles-investigation
https://www.co.washington.or.us/hhs/communicablediseases/measles.cfm
https://www.clackamas.us/publichealth
If you have any questions, please contact the Health Promotion office at 503-768-8225.
Best wishes for a healthy semester,
John Hancock
Associate Dean of Students for Health and Wellness
