A child with measles visited Children’s Hospital Colorado and three stores around Aurora over the last week, potentially exposing other unvaccinated kids to the highly contagious disease.
People should look for symptoms of measles if they visited any of the following locations during the exposure windows:
- Children’s Hospital Colorado emergency department: 6 to 10 p.m. May 22; 1:10 to 7:15 a.m. Monday; or 9:25 p.m. Monday to 4:15 a.m. Tuesday
- Walgreens, 18461 E. Hampden Ave.: 10 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. Sunday
- Sam’s Club, 880 S. Abilene St.: noon to 3:30 p.m. Sunday
- Natural Grocers, 3440 S. Tower Road: 6 to 8:10 p.m. Sunday
People who visited those locations during the time when the virus lingered in the air should watch for symptoms until June 17, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Early symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. A rash generally starts on the face about four days after the infected person becomes contagious.
Parts of Colorado face measles risk as high as West Texas due to low vaccination rates
Someone who develops symptoms after visiting an exposure location should call their health care provider before coming in, so they can take precautions to avoid spreading the virus.
Two doses of the measles vaccine are about 97% effective in preventing illness. Unvaccinated people who receive the shot up to 72 hours after exposure may be able to prevent measles infection.
Adams and Arapahoe counties are offering special clinics for exposed people on Thursday:
- 1401 W. 122nd Ave. #200, Westminster, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Altura Plaza, 15400 E. 14th Place, Aurora, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The child, who is under 5 and wasn’t vaccinated, is hospitalized at Children’s and receiving care. The hospital has taken precautions to avoid exposing any other patients, officials said.
The child lives in Arapahoe County and recently traveled with family to “multiple international locations with increased measles cases,” according to state health officials.
The state health department didn’t release any more information about the child’s condition. Most children who have measles recover without complications, but some develop dehydration, pneumonia or inflammation in the brain. Estimates put the death rate somewhere between one and three out of every 1,000 people infected.
About 94% of Colorado school children are up-to-date on their measles shots, but parts of the state have much lower rates.
Colorado has confirmed six measles cases this year, the most since at least 1996. Others infected include an adult in Pueblo County; a Denver baby and an unidentified person who lives in the same household; a Denver adult; and an adult in Archuleta County.
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