Bellevue Schools Ask Parents To Look For Measles Symptoms

BELLEVUE, WA - An outbreak of measles in Washington has reached King County, and so Bellevue school officials are asking parents to watch for symptoms in their children.

The district has not seen any measles cases in Bellevue. But King County health officials have confirmed that a local man in his 50s recently had measles. He visited a number of locations around the county, potentially exposing people to the virus.

"While we currently do not have any cases of measles reported in Bellevue School District, we are urging families to monitor their children for signs of measles. If you believe your child may have measles, please call their health care provider — do not go in," the district wrote in a statement Thursday.

Most school-age children are vaccinated against measles, but some parents choose not to. Health officials believe the larger outbreak in Washington — in the Clark County and Portland area — may be due to a lack of vaccinations.

The measles virus is extremely contagious and especially dangerous for children. The virus can remain in the air up for up to two hours, and people who have not been vaccinated are almost guaranteed to contract it, if exposed.

Measles symptoms typically appear between one and three weeks after infection. Early symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control, include:

• High fever
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red, watery eyes
• Spots on the tongue

Find out more from King County here.

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