Colorado health officials Wednesday announced a third child connected to Broomfield schools has been infected with measles, making the cluster of cases the state’s first official measles outbreak of the year.
The outbreak has spread to two schools: Broomfield High School and Broomfield Heights Middle School. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment confirmed Wednesday that unvaccinated students and staff at both schools have been told to stay home for 21 days in an effort to stop the spread of the disease. The length of time corresponds with the measles virus’s incubation period.
“This is not a punitive measure, it is a protective one,” Hope Shuler, a spokesperson for CDPHE, wrote in an email. “By keeping susceptible individuals away from potential exposure, we stop the virus from finding new hosts and prevent a localized, containable incident from becoming a community-wide crisis.”
Details on the new case
The new infection involves a child from Adams County between the ages of 5 and 17 who was unvaccinated against the disease. The child had contact with one of the two kids connected to Broomfield High School who have also been diagnosed with measles in the past week.
Three linked cases are required to meet the epidemiological definition of an outbreak.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced two new locations where people may have been exposed to measles as a result of the latest case. These include Broomfield Heights Middle School and the Broomfield Community Center.
LocationDate/timeWhen symptoms may developBroomfield Heights Middle School1555 Daphne St., BroomfieldTuesday, Feb. 17Wednesday, Feb. 18Thursday, Feb. 198:30-6 p.m.Through March 12Broomfield Community Center280 Spader Way, BroomfieldThursday, Feb. 197:35-10:30 p.m.Through March 12CDPHE said it is working to identify other possible exposure locations. The agency maintains an updated list of all locations in Colorado where someone may have recently been exposed to measles on its website.
People who may have been exposed to measles should watch for symptoms to appear within 21 days of exposure. If symptoms show up — measles starts like a common cold with fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed later by the telltale rash — people should call CDPHE at 720-653-3369 or their local public health agency.
Told to stay home
State law requires kids to be immunized against measles in order to attend class. The law also recognizes certain exemptions for medical or other reasons.
However, when state or local public health officials believe there is “danger of an epidemic,” the law authorizes them to ignore the exemptions and take actions to prevent the spread of disease in the school.
“Quarantine by the state Department of Public Health and Environment or the county, district, or municipal public health agency is hereby authorized as a legal alternative to immunization,” the law states.
Students at both Broomfield High School and Broomfield Heights Middle School have high vaccination rates against measles, according to state data — roughly 97% of each school’s students are considered fully immunized against the disease. That is above the 95% threshold typically cited as being needed for herd immunity, where the measles virus would sputter out as it struggles to find new susceptible hosts.
But schools are not self-contained communities. Students, staff and visitors come and go each day, interacting with a wider group of people among whom vaccination rates may be lower.
Shuler said the exclusion applies to students, staff, volunteers and visitors who are either unvaccinated or unable to provide proof of immunity. Those among that group who are vaccinated within 72 hours of being exposed will be allowed to return.
Based on enrollment data from last year, the exclusion would apply to around 50 students at Broomfield High School and 15 students at Broomfield Heights Middle School.
Shuler said the goal is to prevent the measles outbreak in Broomfield from spiraling out of control into a much larger outbreak like what is currently happening in South Carolina or along the Utah/Arizona border. She said officials in other states have also used school exclusions to try to control their outbreaks.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports there have been 1,136 measles cases so far this year in the United States, with more than half of those occurring in South Carolina. There were 2,281 reported cases in the U.S. in all of last year.
Colorado has reported four cases of measles this year, all in unvaccinated children, with no hospitalizations and no deaths.
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