Red and watery eyes, a stubborn cough, tiny white spots inside the mouth, and a worrisome red rash that has spread from head to toe, sometimes accompanied by a high fever that can spike to more than 104 degrees.
All of it started seven to 14 days earlier, the patient tells his doctor, and things have only gotten worse since.
Those are the first symptoms of measles, now on the rise throughout the world and here at home.
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has reported a rise in measles cases in the state, with a fifth case confirmed recently. This increase, the DOH notes on its website, is part of a broader, nationwide outbreak with more than than 800 confirmed cases across 24 states.
Measles are not to be taken lightly.
According to the Public Health – Seattle & King County, the disease is serious and highly contagious, and can lead to severe health problems, including pneumonia, permanent brain damage, even immune amnesia, the latter meaning if you get the virus, it can cause your body’s immune system to forget how to fight off diseases it has fought before.
The DOH emphasizes that nearly 90% of unprotected individuals exposed to the virus will become infected. Vaccination is crucial to prevent the spread of the disease and protect vulnerable populations, including infants who are too young to be vaccinated, according to the health department. In rare cases, measles can be deadly.
Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself against measles.
As of Feb. 11, here are some of the latest 2026 stats for Washington state as reported by the Department of Health:
• Total cases in Washington state: 23.
• Number of cases with an unvaccinated status: 21
• Percentage of measles cases linked to a Washington outbreak: 11 (an outbreak is declared when three or more cases are related).
• Cases not linked to a Washingt0n outbreak: 3.
• Cases confirmed, under investigation: 9.
• Hospitalizations and deaths: 0.
• Cases by age: under 5 years, 4 cases; ages 5-17 years, 14 cases; ages 18 years and older, 5.
The measles virus travels through the air. A sick person can spread measles by coughing, sneezing, breathing, or talking. People can get measles when they breathe air with the measles virus, or if they get the virus on their hands and touch their face. Measles can stay in the air for up to two hours, so people can get measles even after a sick person has left the area.
According to the DOH, the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine offers the strongest protection. Children normally get the MMR vaccine at ages 1 to 4. People who weren’t vaccinated as child can get the MMR vaccine as an adult. Getting the vaccine is safer than getting sick with measles, and it protects one’s family and community, according to the DOH.
According to the DOH, people who get measles in the United States are unvaccinated. When infected people come into contact with a population that includes unvaccinated people or those with weakened immune systems, the virus can spread. In addition to MMR, measles-containing vaccines include MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, varicella), and others.
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