--- title: Vaccine Rates Get Boost in Washington County During Measles Outbreak description: “There’s no reason we should be having this outbreak” canonical: https://time.com/5524505/measles-washington-vaccination/ author: Tara Law article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-02-07T23:06:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T22:43:12.653Z article:section: Health og:title: A Measles Outbreak Is Hitting the Pacific Northwest. Now There's a Surge in People Getting Vaccinated og:description: “There’s no reason we should be having this outbreak” og:url: https://time.com/5524505/measles-washington-vaccination/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a3d6f447bb3d6ff/698944c8457a52112ad6076d/mmrvaccine.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2121 og:image:height: 1193 og:image:alt: Measles Mumps Rubella Vaccine Vials With Syringe og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Measles Outbreak Is Hitting the Pacific Northwest. Now There's a Surge in People Getting Vaccinated twitter:description: “There’s no reason we should be having this outbreak” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a3d6f447bb3d6ff/698944c8457a52112ad6076d/mmrvaccine.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A Measles Outbreak Is Hitting the Pacific Northwest. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators.  by [Tara Law](https://time.com/author/tara-law/)  ## Tara Law Feb 7, 2019 11:06 PM UTC  Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) Vaccine Vials With Syringe. Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) Vaccine Vials With Syringe. AndreyPopov—Getty Images/iStockphoto  by [Tara Law](https://time.com/author/tara-law/)  ## Tara Law Feb 7, 2019 11:06 PM UTC MMR vaccine rates in two areas in the Pacific Northwest, which has been at [the epicenter of a measles outbreak](http://time.com/5515131/vaccinations-measles-outbreak-northwest/), are surging as people rush to protect themselves and their children from the virus. In Clark County, Washington – where about 50 people have been infected since the outbreak started – more than 6 times as many people were vaccinated for measles from January 13 to February 2 compared to the same period last year, according to a spokesperson for Washington State Department of Health. The rush to receive the MMR vaccine – which inoculates the recipient from measles, mumps and rubella – in Clark County is especially striking because the county has an unusually low vaccination rate. Only 81% of 1 to 5 year olds in the county have received a dose of MMR, according to Clark County, Washington Public Health. [Falling vaccination rates](http://time.com/5423325/vaccine-rate-increase-cdc/) in the United States and Europe have been blamed for [outbreaks of measles](http://time.com/5375687/measles-return/). Although the MMR vaccine is considered to be highly safe and effective, its reputation has been eroded by [fraudulent science and false news stories](http://time.com/5175704/andrew-wakefield-vaccine-autism/). The number of U.S. children who have not been vaccinated for preventable diseases quadrupled between 2001 and 2018, [according to the CDC](http://time.com/5423325/vaccine-rate-increase-cdc/). Measles is considered to be highly contagious; the virus can linger in the air for two hours after an infected person is in the room, and people may be contagious without knowing that they are infected, according to the CDC. About 1 in 20 children with measles contracts pneumonia, and in rare cases measles patients may experience encephalitis – inflammation in the brain. Julie Graham, a spokesperson for Washington State Department of Health, said that vaccine rates in Clark County have jumped up dramatically both among children and adults. Between January 13 and February 2, 2,739 children and 1,754 adults were vaccinated compared to 630 children and 60 adults over the same period last year. The tri-county area that includes Multnomah County, Oregon – where three people were diagnosed with measles – is also seeing a spike in vaccinations. About 600 people a day were vaccinated during the last week of January, compared to 200 people during the same period last year. Dr. Alan Melnick, Public Health Director and Clark County Health Officer, said that two major factors are causing the outbreak. For one, Washington is one of only 17 states that permit children to get a non-religious exemption to attend school unvaccinated, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The other reason, Melnick says, is that there is an highly organized and sophisticated anti-vaccination movement “spouting nonsense” on social media. Many of the articles these organizations produce closely resemble scientific articles, Melnick says. “There’s no reason we should be having this outbreak,” says Melnick. “We have vaccines that are very cheap, very effective, and very, very safe.” Melnick added that while 78% of schoolchildren in Clark County are vaccinated, some schools have much lower rates. Unvaccinated people who may have been exposed to the virus are urged to get vaccinated, Graham said. Vaccination within 72 hours of exposure to the virus can limit the severity of the disease or prevent the exposed person from getting sick. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5524505/measles-washington-vaccination/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5524505/measles-washington-vaccination/"},"headline":"A Measles Outbreak Is Hitting the Pacific Northwest. 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