GREAT FALLS — The City County Health Department has confirmed that there has been a case of the measles here in Cascade County.
Amanda Blair has been aware of the rise of measles in Montana.
Blair, a grandparent and a teacher said, “With my grandkids. They've been vaccinated, so I'm not quite as concerned.”
But as a teacher?
Blair said, “The students that are that have lower immune systems and with other students that may get the measles, they may get it too. And so that really concerns me about their health and their well-being.”
The return of the illness worries Blair.
Blair said, “We haven't had measles or polio or any of that for a very long time. And now it's coming back because we don't have as many people getting vaccinated as we did in the past.”
And now it is closer than it has been. On Wednesday the CCHD announced a confirmed case of measles in Cascade County.
Abigail Hill, Health Officer with the CCHD said, “The individual is confirmed to have been vaccinated, an adult male.”
As Health Officer of the Cascade City County Health Department, Abigail Hill says that if you are vaccinated, there is still a three percent chance you could get sick, but symptoms are less and they are less likely to spread it.
Hill said, “At this point, what we're doing is we're contact tracing kind of where he's worked, where he's been. So that we can notify the community and as much as we can do some contact tracing just to see if anyone's showing symptoms”
If you believe you are sick, do not come inside the Health Department to get tested.
Hill said, “Read the sign, there is going to be a number to call outside those facilities. And that way they can just screen you over the phone to say, probably something else, come in or hey, we'll meet you outside, ask you a few questions and we can do the test. It's just a swab out in someone's car as well.”
Hill says that they are prepared to handle the measles.
Hill said, “I wouldn't say, you know, staff is panicking. We're really prepared. We've got really great partnerships with other hospitals. And if anything, this preparation has only strengthened those partnerships and how we're planning and preparing.”
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