Doctors in hospitals and schools across Kansas City, Missouri, are preparing for measles cases to appear, amid the spreading outbreak in southwest Kansas, and they are imploring people to get vaccinated.
About 95% of people need to be vaccinated with the measles, mumps, and rubella shot to reach herd immunity, according to the Mayo Clinic. While most of the metro meets that threshold, K-12 schools in three Kansas City ZIP codes fell short — 64114, in Waldo and south Kansas City, and 64151 and 64155, both in the Northland.
“It’s a matter of not if we get cases here in Kansas City, it’s when we get cases in Kansas City,” Naser Jouhari, deputy director of the Kansas City Health Department, said at a press conference Tuesday.
Kansas City Health Department’s Alex Francisco said the number of religious exemptions in 64155 has doubled since 2019, which has helped lead to the current 84% vaccination rate.
“The religious exemption was around 7%. It is now 14%,” Francisco said. “That is about twice the rate of the second-highest religious exemption.”
Francisco said the vast majority of exemptions in those areas are based on religious grounds.
“Importantly, the medical exemption rate for all three of those ZIP codes is zero percent,” he later added.
Jouhari and Francisco were joined on Tuesday by more than half a dozen local health officials who warned of the dangers measles can pose if left unchecked.
This year, nearly 900 cases have been reported across the country. The vast majority of those cases are unvaccinated people.
The outbreak in southwest Kansas is the country’s third-largest, affecting 37 people. In Missouri, the lone case has been reported in southwest Taney County, along the border with Arkansas.
During the briefing, leaders noted similarities in their plea to those during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though they now face increased vaccine skepticism fueled by the previous pandemic, the MMR shot also boasts decades more evidence and backing than any coronavirus vaccine.
The health department said they’ll also be expanding Wednesday hours, and opening from 8 a.m. until noon on Saturdays starting in mid-May to provide additional vaccination opportunities.
Jourhari said the department plans to hire three new staff members for the vaccination clinic, in addition to the nine already employed.
School preparations
Measles symptoms often start with a cough, runny nose or fever. As the infection worsens, kids often develop white spots inside their mouth, followed by a splotchy rash. Someone can be contagious for about four days before a rash breaks out — meaning many spread the virus before they are aware they have it — and should isolate until four days after.
Unvaccinated people should quarantine for 21 days after exposure, doctors say.
To prevent extended absences, Kansas City school nurses are urging parents to get their kids vaccinated and keep them home if they believe they might have measles. They said parents should notify their family physician immediately, and clear arrangements with the doctor before taking an infected person anywhere.
Lauren Grimes, Kansas City Public School’s director of nursing services, said, with parent approval, the health department will offer the MRR vaccine on-site.
“We have our list of students that are not immunized against MMR and we’ve been working with the health department to make sure we keep that list updated so, if we do have a case in the schools, we are prepared,” Grimes said.
Doctors recommend vaccinating children twice against measles: once at 12-15 months and again at 4-6 years. Adults who were not vaccinated as kids or are unsure of their vaccination history should receive two doses. Those born before 1957 are considered to have natural immunity.
The Kansas City Health Department said they have plans to hold conversations in Northland schools to address vaccine hesitancy.
