Two Measles Cases Confirmed in Linn County as Oregon Vaccination Rates Fall
Two cases of measles identified on January 5 are being investigated by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Linn County public health officials, who are seeking to advise the public about locations where they may have been exposed to the highly infectious virus.
Source: Oregon Health Authority 2024/2025 school immunization dataset
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Measles Infections In Linn County
In the Linn County diagnosed cases, people developed measles symptoms, rash, fever, cough,and runny nose, but OHA declined to identify their gender, age, or county of residence. Officials warned the public about two locations where the two individuals with measles spent time:
| Location | Date and time window | If you were there |
|---|---|---|
| Lebanon Community Hospital Emergency Department | Jan 6 8:53 p.m. to Jan 7 7 a.m. | Call your provider and say you may have been exposed. Do not walk in unannounced. |
| Albany General Hospital Emergency Department | Jan 7 4:59 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. | Ask if you are immune based on vaccination record, age, or prior infection labs. |
Anyone who was at these places during these dates and times should contact their health care provider immediately and inform the healthcare practitioner that they may have been exposed to someone with measles.
The health care provider should know whether, based on your vaccination record, age, or laboratory evidence of prior infection, you are immune to measles.
Howard Chiou, M.D., Ph.D., medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at OHA’s Public Health Division, said, “Measles is here in Oregon, and rates are increasing nationally, which is why we encourage everyone to make sure they’re protected by talking with their providers about being up to date on vaccinations.”
Measles Vaccinations In Linn County
OHA aims to ensure that at least 95% of children are immunized to protect the community.
The Linn County K-12 measles 2-dose coverage is about 93.5% according to OHA’s 2024-2025 school immunization dataset, and a record 9.7% of kindergartners claimed nonmedical exemptions from Oregon’s school vaccination requirements for the 2024-2025 school year, the highest rate ever recorded in the state.
For three years, measles vaccination coverage has decreased, and the latest data show that only 86.3% of kindergartners are fully vaccinated, marking three consecutive years of declining coverage.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2024, Oregon’s vaccination rate was 8.8%- the fourth-highest nonmedical exemption rate in the US, behind Idaho, Alaska, and Utah.
The declining rates raise the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in schools, particularly in communities with lower immunization coverage. When a very high percentage of children are vaccinated in a school or child care setting, the risk of spreading the disease to vulnerable individuals is reduced.