DENVER — The number of Coloradans with measles reached double-digits over the weekend after state health officials confirmed four additional cases tied to an outbreak of the highly contagious disease at Denver International Airport.
Four adults — three El Paso County residents and one Arapahoe County passenger on a flight from Turkey to Denver — were confirmed positive for the virus by Monday evening, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Two of the three El Paso County residents were unvaccinated, CDPHE officials said, while the remaining resident from El Paso County and the Arapahoe County passenger had been inoculated with the MMR vaccine.
That brings the number of Coloradans infected with the virus to 11 so far this year, seven of whom contracted the disease from an out-of-state individual who flew from Turkey Airlines flight 201 while infectious and arrived in Denver on May 13, state health officials said.
CDPHE officials said the adults are unrelated but were at DIA around the same time on May 14. All are recovering at home.
Newest cases could have exposed people in Colorado Springs and Grand Junction
State health officials said these four newer cases could have potentially exposed people at four different locations in southern Colorado and the Western Slope.
At the Love’s Travel Stop/Carls Jr., located at 748 22 Road in Grand Junction, people could have been exposed on Tuesday, May 27, between 6-10 p.m.
In Colorado Springs, people could have been exposed at:
- Maverick Gas Station, 2588 Airport Rd., on Wednesday, May 28, between 9-11:30 a.m.
- King Soopers, 1750 W. Uintah St., on Saturday, May 31, between 8:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
- Single Barrel Bar and Grill, 5885 Stetson Hills Blvd., #120 on Friday, May 30, between 6-11:30 p.m.
If you were at any of these locations and develop measles symptoms, you are asked to contact your local public health agency immediately by phone before trying to seek treatment to avoid other people from becoming potentially infected with the virus. If you do not have a provider, call an urgent care center or emergency department and explain that you may have been exposed to measles.
What to do if you believe you were exposed
Anyone who believes they may have been exposed — especially those who have not been vaccinated with the MMR vaccine — should monitor for symptoms for 21 days and avoid public gatherings or high-risk settings, health officials said in the news release.
Symptoms to watch out for include anything from a fever, a cough, a runny nose, and red, watery eyes that develop into a rash that starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body about three to five days after symptoms first start. A person with measles is contagious four days before and four days after the rash appears.
While most people recover within two or three weeks after contracting the virus, unvaccinated people run the risk of complications from the disease, including ear infections, seizures, pneumonia, immune amnesia, brain damage and ultimately, death.
Measles only spreads from people who show symptoms; it does not spread from people who aren’t feeling sick, state health officials said.
Unvaccinated people exposed to the virus can get the MMR vaccine 72 hours after exposure (but before symptoms are present) to prevent an infection, according to health officials.
That means unvaccinated people exposed to the virus in Grand Junction, the Maverick Gas station or the Single Barrel Bar and Grill in Colorado Springs are no longer able to get an MMR vaccine, but those who may have been exposed at the King Soopers location can still get a dose of the MMR vaccine until June 3.
People exposed at the Love’s Travel Stop/Carls Jr. in Grand Junction may still develop symptoms through June 17, while those exposed at the gas station in Colorado Springs, the Single Barrel Bar and Grill restaurant, and the King Soopers, may develop symptoms through June 18, June 20 and June 21, respectively, according to the CDPHE.
Denver7 has been closely following confirmed cases of measles in Colorado amid a multi-state outbreak of the virus in the U.S. this year. Check out some related stories in the links below.
- Colorado health officials address use of vitamin A after state reports first case of measles amid US outbreak
- Colorado health officials recognize 'challenging' reporting delays as number of measles cases tick up
- Colorado pediatrician shares how to protect children amid rise in measles cases
While the two-dose series of the MMR vaccine has a 97% efficacy rate against infection, about 3 in every 100 people can still get infected if exposed to the virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Vaccinated individuals will usually develop milder symptoms and are less likely to spread it to others, according to state health officials.
People who got vaccinated against measles before 1968 should talk to their health care provider about possibly getting a booster as the vaccine used before that year wasn't as effective.
As of last week, the CDC was now recommending all U.S. travelers going to any international destination to get vaccinated against the highly transmissible virus after the federal agency received at least 62 reports of travelers who were contagious while flying into the U.S., according to CBS News.
Countries neighboring the U.S. are also currently experiencing measles outbreaks, with the state of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico, reporting 1,803 confirmed cases as of June 2 — some of which have been tied to cases in Colorado — and Canada reporting 2,755 confirmed measles cases as of May 24.
Globally, Yemen, Pakistan, and India top the World Health Organization's (WHO) list of countries with the highest number of measles cases right now, according to the CDC.
Colorado hasn't seen this many measles cases since 1996, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 7 cases across the state.
The remaining seven statewide cases so far this year have been confirmed in Arapahoe County (2), Denver (3), and one each in Pueblo and Pagosa Springs.
As of Friday, the CDC had confirmed a total of 1,088 measles cases — the second worst year since the disease was eliminated 25 years ago. Two children and one adult have died in the current nationwide outbreak. None were vaccinated against measles.
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