KALISPELL — A second case of measles was confirmed in last week in a Flathead County resident who recently traveled outside of the state.
Dozens of health care professionals at Logan Health in Kalispell in March started a Measles Incident Command Team and have been meeting on a weekly basis preparing for a potential outbreak.
Watch to learn more about the Measles Incident Command Team:
Logan Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Cory Short said the hospital created the team to help patients and healthcare professionals better understand the disease.
“Measles is something most of us have just read about in textbooks; we haven’t seen too many cases of it fortunately.”
Dr. Short said the Measles Incident Command Team is relying on previous experiences with the COVID pandemic to prepare for a potential outbreak.
“Looking at data from what we’re hearing from other states, but also looking at patient flow, patient presents, how would a patient present and preparing our healthcare teams for what that might look like.”
Dr. Short said Measles can spread quickly and lead to serious illness, “immunocompromised, young patients and pregnant patients are probably our most vulnerable population.”
He said vaccination is the best line of defense against the disease.
“A two-dose vaccination regimen is about 97% effective in preventing illness, even one dose is about 93% effective from preventing infection and then preventing spread thereafter.”
Adults who are unsure of their vaccination status can get tested at Logan Health.
“If you’re uncertain, we can also test for immune status, testing blood levels of antibodies against measles, and if those are not present, odds are you’re going to be eligible to receive the vaccine.”
