Gilbert has 2 new measles cases, could be site of growing outbreak

The nation’s second-largest measles outbreak has been spreading in an isolated area of northern Arizona for five months. But now, the extremely infectious disease is hitting Maricopa County, where it may have much more room to spread freely.

Last Friday, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health announced a positive measles case had been identified in Gilbert. It wasn’t connected to the ongoing outbreak in Colorado City in Mohave County, but was instead linked to international travel.

In November, a positive case was identified in the county after an infected person attended a Tate McCrae concert in Phoenix, but the disease did not spread in the Valley at the time. This time around, that’s not the case. On Friday, the county health department confirmed that two more Maricopa County residents had tested positive for the incredibly contagious disease.

The department noted that one positive case has “no known source of exposure,” which “confirms that measles is now spreading within the community.” The department has identified four exposure sites: the Hale Theatre Arizona, a Target on Warner Road, an EoS Fitness on Val Vista Drive and a Sam’s Club on Gilbert Road. All four exposure sites are in Gilbert. 

Maricopa County’s outbreak comes as Mohave County’s reaches 222 positive cases. That outbreak, which has spread into parts of southern Utah, has caused 12 hospitalizations. Of those cases, 97% involve unvaccinated people. Positive measles cases have also been identified in Pima and Pinal counties this year. Coconino and Navajo counties saw cases last year.

For years, Maricopa County — and Arizona — was protected from measles outbreaks through herd immunity, meaning that 95% or more of the county’s population has received both doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The high vaccination rate keeps immunocompromised people safe and prevents the disease from spreading.

Arizona’s vaccination rates have been falling, though. During the last school year, 88% of kindergartners in the county were fully vaccinated for measles, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. That falls short of the herd immunity rate, leaving the community vulnerable to an outbreak. Some areas of Gilbert — which leans Republican, a party that has increasingly embraced vaccine conspiracy theories — have even lower vaccination rates.

“If you’ve been hesitating or wondering if you should get the measles vaccine, this is a reminder that measles can spread rapidly and can be very serious,” Dr. Nick Staab, the chief medical officer for the Maricopa County health department, said in a statement. “You can protect yourself and those around you with a proven, effective vaccine.”

If exposed to measles, 90% of unvaccinated individuals will contract it. And while the disease isn’t normally deadly in and of itself, measles significantly weakens the immune system and leaves people susceptible to deadly side effects, such as encephalitis, pneumonia and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, which is a brain infection that may not appear until years after their infection.

Measles can manifest as a red rash on the face that spreads to the rest of the body, accompanied by white spots in the mouth. Patients can develop a fever, cough, red and watery eyes and a runny nose. Young, unvaccinated children are also especially vulnerable to adverse measles symptoms.

Exposed individuals typically develop symptoms seven to 12 days after exposure, but it may take up to 21 days for symptoms to appear. Those with symptoms should seek medical care and testing, the department said, and should call their medical provider ahead of time to avoid exposing others.

Here are the four exposure sites in Maricopa County:

Hale Theatre Arizona (50 W. Page Avenue)

• Exposure:
  • Jan. 5-7 from 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. 
  • Jan. 8-9 from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. 
• Symptom watch until: Jan. 30

Target (1515 E Warner Road)

• Exposure: Jan. 13 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. 
• Symptom watch until: Feb. 3

EoS Fitness (3025 S Val Vista Drive)

• Exposure: Jan. 13-15 from 4:45 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. 
• Symptom watch until: Feb. 5

Sam’s Club (1225 N Gilbert Road)

• Exposure: Jan. 15 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 
• Symptom watch until: Feb. 5