Health officials near Portland, Oregon, have declared a public health emergency over a measles outbreak that’s affecting mostly young children.
Clark County, Washington, has identified 23 cases and seven suspected cases; 18 of those are among children younger than 10 years old, officials said Wednesday. None of the people infected were vaccinated, Public Health Director Alan Melnick told CBS News.
The county has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state, with more than 22 percent of public school students having not completed their vaccinations, The Oregonian reports, citing state records.
Measles is so contagious that 90 percent of unvaccinated people who come in contact with an infected person will get the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus can also spread four days before and after symptoms appear.
Officials identified airports including the Portland International Airport, health care facilities, schools and churches as possible locations where people might have been exposed to this outbreak.