HELENA — Lewis and Clark Public Health confirmed a measles exposure case event in Helena that occurred at multiple businesses on Sunday, June 15.
Although there are no confirmed cases of measles in Lewis and Clark County at this time, public health anticipates those confirmed cases to appear in the coming weeks.
"We do expect to see cases to come from this particular exposure; there was a lot of community exposure that occurred, " said Drenda Niemann, a health officer at Lewis and Clark Public Health.
Watch to learn more about the measles exposure event in Helena:
The exposure event happened on June 15 when a resident of another county visited the T.J. Maxx, Costco, Old Navy, McKenzie River Pizza Co., and Town Pump at 2910 North Montana Avenue in Helena between the hours of 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Below are the specific exposure times for each establishment:
- T.J. Maxx – June 15, 2 - 4 p.m.
- Costco – June 15, 2 - 4 p.m.
- Old Navy – June 15, 2:15 - 5:15 p.m.
- McKenzie River Pizza – June 15, 3:15 - 6 p.m.
- Town Pump (2910 N. Montana Ave) – June 15, 4 - 6 p.m.
Watch to learn how to best protect yourself and others if you are experiencing measles symptoms:
Public health is conducting follow-up investigations to identify exposed individuals.
"Another step we will be taking is communication directly with those businesses," Niemann says.
The exposed establishments have been informed of the event through a phone call and a letter with the next steps.
And as for individuals who are unvaccinated and not immune to the measles virus, who visited the listed businesses.
"Those individuals can then fill out our self-referral form on our website," said Niemann.
The first symptoms of measles usually appear about 7 to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose, red watery eyes, and/or white spots in the mouth.
"We ask anyone who has been exposed to watch for symptoms for up to 21 days, so individuals who are not immune or not vaccinated against measles stay home," Niemann said.
If you or someone you know is having measles symptoms, call your medical provider before arriving for treatment to ensure the safety of others.
