SUSPECTED MEASLES CASES SHUT DOWN URGENT CARE NEAR GROSSMONT HOSPITAL

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East County News Service

Photo courtesy 10 News, an ECM news partner

Update January 15, 2015 - The Urgent Care is now reopened.

January 14, 2015 (La Mesa) – The Sharp Rees-Stealy Urgent Care on the campus of Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa  temporarily shut down due to six patients who came in today with rashes and symptoms consistent with measles. The clinic reopened in the evening.

The patients arrived shortly before noon and were soon isolated after healthcare workers recognized symptoms of measles, a highly contagious disease that can be spread by coughing or sneezing. Tests were conducted to confirm whether the patients in fact have measles; results are pending.

NBC news reports that healthcare workers spoke with everyone in the room to learn if they were current on measles vaccinations.

The patients were sent home this evening. The urgent care center underwent a disinfecting process before reopening.

Frances Schnall, marketing and communications manager for Sharp Rees-Stealy, said staff talked with patients and others in the waiting room, and that all confirmed that they had been immunized or have immunity.

Last week, two measles cases were reported locally in siblings who visited Parkway Plaza Mall on December 29th and are believed to have contracted the disease at Disneyland. Nationwide, 26 cases of measles in four states have been linked to Disneyland, according to the Centers for Disease Control. 

Although most of those cases were in people who were not vaccinated, two patients reportedly did have the vaccine, which is effective about 99 percent of the time, PBS news reports. Some have blamed the measles outbreak on the growing number of people failing to vaccinate their children.

Measles symptoms may resemble a cold at first including cough, runny nose and high fever, with red, watery eyes.  After two or three days, small white spots can develop in the mouth, followed by the distinctive measles rash three to five days after the first symptoms begin.

Measles is among the most contagious of diseases and more cases are anticipated, health officials have said. The disease can cause serious complications or even death. 

If you believe that you or a family member may have measles, county health officials urge that you call your doctor to avoid infecting others in doctor’s offices and waiting rooms. There is no treatment for measles, but  if complications occur, medical treatment may be warranted.

The health officers told NBC 7 they expect the number of California cases to grow as they confirm new instances of the virus.

 


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