After a recent measles exposure at St. Peter’s Health emergency department in Helena, public health officials are urging the public to avoid unannounced medical visits if they suspect they might have the highly contagious disease. In a Tuesday press release, the Lewis and Clark County Public H ealth Department said that people present at the hospital’s emergency department between Sunday, March 29, at 11:20 p.m. and Monday, March 30, at 3 a.m. might have been exposed to measles. The exposure comes after five measles cases have been identified in Lewis and Clark County since March 15, according to the state measles tracking dashboard.  The health department said it is working to identify and contact at-risk people, but did not specify how many people may have been exposed.  “[T]hose residents we can identify as being present at St. Peter’s ER during those hours will receive a text message or call from Lewis and Clark Public Health with further directions,” said Shelly Maag, a nurse with the department, in the emailed release. Health officials said there is “no reason to panic” because most of the county’s population is immunized against measles, but urged residents who are not immunized to get the MMR vaccine. A department spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about the county’s adult and childhood vaccination rate. Montana discontinued its protocol for tracking immunization rates at the county level after a 2021 state law removed the requirement to do so.  County health officials recommend that anyone who thinks they might have been exposed to measles at the hospital or elsewhere should contact their primary health care provider.  Health officials also strongly advise that people experiencing symptoms should stay home except for testing or treatment.   “It is extremely important that you do not enter a clinic building without calling ahead so that precautions can be taken to avoid exposing others,” Maag said. “If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please alert staff upon arrival.” A spokesperson with St. Peter’s Health told MTFP Tuesday that visitors who suspect they may have been exposed should call the hospital before arriving, and not immediately come inside. “If you need care or testing, please call ahead and wait in your vehicle. This limits community and health care provider exposures,” said spokesperson Casey Kyler West, who added that St. Peter’s has signs posted outside its facilities with phone numbers for urgent care locations and the emergency department. The county has also established a self-referral form for individuals to report measles exposures. Measles symptoms commonly begin seven days to two weeks after exposure, but could take as many as 21 days to appear, according to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services website. Early symptoms can include a high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. Later, tiny white spots may appear inside the mouth, followed by a red rash that begins on the face and spreads to the neck, abdomen, arms, legs and feet, according to health care experts. In severe cases, the virus can be deadly. The measles virus can stay in the air for up to two hours after an infected person has left the area.                                 People at a higher risk for experiencing severe measles symptoms include infants and those who are immunocompromised or pregnant. According to the press release, the recent cases have no connection to any daycares or schools in Lewis and Clark or surrounding counties. The recent cases are part of a resurgence of measles in Montana that began last April. Lewis and Clark County reported its first case in several decades in August. Montana has confirmed  41 measles cases since last spring, according to the state health department’s measles dashboard. The post Health officials stress safety measures after Helena measles exposure at local hospital appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less