Health professionals discussed the recent measles resurgence and answered questions about the virus during a recent event
By Katie Fairbanks MONTANA FREE PRESS
This year’s back-to-school season is the first in 35 years that Montana has had an active measles case, likely generating questions and concerns for parents, teachers and community members.
After the state reported its first measles case since 1990 in April, the University of Montana’s Public Health Training Center realized many health care providers and public health officials had never dealt with measles, said Tony Ward, the center’s executive director and UM professor. That’s why the center hosted a panel discussion and Q&A session Tuesday on what families, schools and communities need to know about measles, vaccination and disease prevention as the new school year begins. Here are some of the key takeaways.
Question: Why is measles spreading now?
Answer: Measles is a highly contagious airborne virus that spreads through coughing and sneezing and can linger on contaminated surfaces for two hours. Close exposure to someone with measles will infect 90% of unprotected people. The virus is “still the nasty, highly contagious virus it has always been,” but human behaviors have changed, leading to recent outbreaks, said Brooke Krininger, health service coordinator for Missoula Public Schools. People are traveling more, and vaccination rates have dropped in recent years, she said. About 95% of a population needs to be immunized against measles to have herd immunity, but some communities are slowly dropping below that threshold, Krininger said.
Question: How do I keep my child safe from measles?
Answer: The best protection against measles is vaccination, according to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Children should receive the first dose of the MMR vaccine at 12 to 15 months and the second dose at 4 to 6 years old. The recommended two doses of the MMR vaccine give 97% effective immunity against measles. For infants who are too young for the vaccine, parents do not have to worry much before their child is 6 months old if the mother is vaccinated, because some antibodies are passed on to the baby, said Atty Moriarty, a pediatric hospitalist in Missoula. Moriarty recommended parents talk to their pediatrician about the exposure risk and vaccine before their child turns 1 year old. A doctor may recommend an early MMR dose if a baby is traveling abroad or if there is increased risk of exposure, Moriarty said. An extra dose of the vaccine is safe to receive, she said.
Question: What is the MMR vaccination rate in Montana?
Answer: Montana is the only state in the country that does not collect immunization reports from schools, following a 2021 law change. Montana students are required to be vaccinated before attending school, with some exemptions. Childhood MMR vaccination rates have been declining over the last few years, said Jessica Lopeman, a state epidemiologist. A national immunization survey conducted in 2023 found that about 86% of Montana 2-year-olds were vaccinated, compared to 90.3% nationwide. That rate increased among teenagers but is “slipping,” Lopeman said. “We need to keep communities vaccinated because that’s what’s going to protect us and our neighbors,” she said.
Question: How does the measles vaccine work? Is natural immunity better?
Answer: The vaccine essentially transmits many small pieces of the measles virus that the body creates a “lock” for, so next time someone is exposed to the virus, it doesn’t spread within them, Moriarty said. The current vaccine creates a better immune response than a “whole virus” vaccine, she said. Relying on natural immunity is a “gamble” and runs the risk of contracting severe illness from measles, Moriarty said. While some people will recover smoothly, others could be hospitalized, develop complications such as hearing loss, blindness or brain swelling, or die. The vaccine will not cause a severe case of measles, Moriarty said.
Question: How should a daycare, school and health department respond to a suspected measles case?
Answer: If a school or health care provider suspects a child has the measles, they are required to contact the local health department immediately to discuss testing and next steps, said Jeanna Miller, Missoula’s public health officer. Health officials encouraged schools to be prepared by knowing student and staff immunization rates and who are more vulnerable to infection. Schools can prepare letters to notify parents and the community about an exposure and make information available in multiple languages, said Lauren Parri, a communicable disease specialist with Gallatin County. Schools and local health departments should set up lines of communication ahead of time so information can be shared quickly when needed. Parri said Gallatin County officials have treated suspected cases as true cases until proven otherwise by test results because it is easier to put proactive measures in place than to backtrack and have extra exposures.
Question: Will my child’s school get shut down because of measles?
Answer: There is a very low risk of closing schools due to a measles case or outbreak because of the widespread immunity to the virus, said Erin Ritchie, the school and daycare nurse for Jefferson County Public Health. While there is a lot of fear of school shutdowns because of the closures during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, that was very different because it was a new virus with no immunity, Ritchie said. Measles is a known virus with an “awesome” vaccine available and a great level of immunity throughout the state, she said.
As of Tuesday, 1,375 confirmed cases of measles were reported by 41 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 92% were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. After a jump in February and March, cases have declined in recent weeks, according to the CDC.
Montana had 31 reported cases as of Wednesday, with one recent case in Lewis and Clark County and the rest classified as “recovered,” according to DPHHS. Most cases, 21, were among those 5 to 19 years old, with one case in a child 4 years old or younger, according to the department.
While case numbers are low, health officials are on high alert because of recent measles activity in the state, said Lopeman, with DPHHS.
More measles information and resources are available on the Montana Public Health Training Center’s website.
