Portland Trail Blazers fans might have been exposed to measles during a game against the Charlotte Hornets earlier this month, health officials said. Schools, health care facilities, Portland International Airport and the Trail Blazers’ Moda Center were among the locations officials said people may have been exposed to the disease. MEASLES OUTBREAK STRIKES 16 IN WASHINGTON STATE, MOSTLY UNVACCINATED KIDS Eighteen Washington state children and one adult were confirmed to have the disease, according to The Oregonian. At least 16 of the confirmed cases were in people who weren’t vaccinated. More than 19,000 people attended the Trail Blazers’ game against the Hornets on Jan. 11, according to The Oregonian. In 2018, 349 cases of measles were reported across 26 states, which accounted for the second-highest number since the disease was considered eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. The outbreaks were largely associated with travelers who brought the virus back from Israel, where there is currently a widespread outbreak. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), measles may present with high fever, cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes, white spots inside the mouth, and rash. It can be serious, particularly in children younger than 5 and in adults older than 20. Complications can result in permanent hearing loss, pneumonia and encephalitis. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Transmission can be prevented with the MMR vaccine, which in addition to measles also protects against mumps and rubella. The CDC recommends children get two doses of the vaccine. Fox News’ Alexandria Hein contributed to this report.<doc-sep>"A person known to be contagious with the measles attended a Portland Trail Blazers basketball game at the Moda Center in Portland on Jan. 11," the notice says. "Others in the building between 5:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m could have been exposed. This comes as Clark County and its partners work to stop an outbreak of the highly contagious disease in the Vancouver area while Oregon health officials work to identify anyone at risk of getting sick."<doc-sep>Bare with us here. This story is kind of bizarre. According to various news outlets, an NBA fan infected with measles attended a ​Portland Trail Blazers home game against the ​Charlotte Hornets on Jan.11 and left over 20 people ill will the disease. A person infected with measles attended a Portland Trail Blazers home game in Oregon last week amid an outbreak that has left at least 19 people ill this month in neighboring Washington state https://t.co/icOax6Xr67 pic.twitter.com/sJHz7FYTO1 — CNN (@CNN) January 22, 2019 Twenty-one of the 22 infected are children, the majority of them younger than 11. Of those, 19 did NOT receive a vaccine against measles. Mercifully, only one person out of the 22 has been hospitalized. According to health officials, the Portland International Airport, schools, hospitals, churches and restaurants across Oregon and Washington is where people may have been exposed to the disease. A public health emergency was declared Friday in Washington's Clark County, less than a half hour drive from Portland, in response to the outbreak. ​​ A public health emergency has been declared near Portland, Ore., with 22 people infected by measles. (19 of them were unvaccinated.) https://t.co/kOaVL0zk6x — Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) January 22, 2019 More than 19,000 people attended the game against the Hornets but reports have confirmed that (somehow) no Oregon residents have been diagnosed with the virus, which led health officials to believe that there is a high probability that the disease spread over to Washington State. Let's hope that the number of hospitalizations remains limited; this is a strange situation for any professional sports team (or organization in general) to have to deal with, and the Blazers have done a spectacular job of diffusing it thus far.<doc-sep>NBA fans who attended a Portland Trail Blazers basketball game in Oregon earlier this month may have been exposed to measles, health officials in the state said. This comes as officials in nearby Vancouver, Washington, in Clark County said the confirmed number of measles cases in that county has climbed to 23. Officials in neighboring Multnomah County, Oregon, said that a person known to be contagious with the disease attended a game at the Moda Center in Portland on Jan. 11 and possibly exposed people who were at the sports arena between 5:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. to the viral infection, said a press release posted to the Multnomah County's website.. The Oregon county is now working with the Trail Blazers to direct people concerned about possible exposure to accurate information. People who are fully vaccinated against measles have very little risk of becoming infected. The vaccine provides upwards of 95 percent protection. But measles is one of the most infectious viruses known and will infect 90 percent of unimmunized people who breathe it in. Health officials in Multnomah County said the virus can linger in the air even after a contagious person has left. “The measles vaccine is so effective,” said Tri-County Health Officer Dr. Paul Lewis said in the Multnomah County press release. “But, this is a good reminder that when you feel sick — even if it’s just a cold — it’s best to stay home to avoid making others ill.” Those who have not had the measles before or have not been vaccinated and develop cold-like symptoms that include fever and red eyes are urged to call their doctor before going to the emergency room or urgent care. Lewis said calling the doctor first this helps keep other people in need of medical care safe. “By calling before you go, the staff can make sure a plan is ready when you arrive,” Lewis said. Since Jan. 1, there have been 23 confirmed cases of the measles and two suspected cases in Clark County, Washington, according to the county public health department. A majority of those cases are people who are 1 to 10 years old, officials said. One case resulted in someone being hospitalized. So far, there have been no confirmed measles cases in Oregon in the current outbreak, according to officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 2018 was the second-worst year for measles since 2000, with 349 individual cases confirmed in 26 states and the District of Columbia. The worst year for the U.S. since the turn of the century was 2014 when there were 667 cases, according to the CDC.<doc-sep>
(CNN) — A person infected with measles attended a Portland Trail Blazers home game in Oregon last week amid an outbreak that has left at least 22 people ill this month in neighboring Washington state. Contagious people also went to Portland International Airport, as well as to hospitals, schools, stores, churches and restaurants across Washington’s Clark County and the two-state region, county officials said. A public health emergency was declared Friday in Clark County, less than a half hour drive from Portland, in response to the measles outbreak. Of 22 people with confirmed cases, 21 are children, county officials said. Eighteen had not been immunized, and it’s unclear whether the remaining three were. Officials have also identified four suspected cases. Though someone infected with measles attended the NBA game on January 11 at the Moda Center, no Oregon residents have been diagnosed with the virus, public health officials in Multnomah County, Oregon, said. But it raises the possibility the Washington outbreak could spread across the state line. “Public Health is continuing to identify and contact potential measles cases, and identify possible locations of public exposure,” Washington county officials said, noting that the emergency declaration will help them fight the virus and access resources outside the region. Most patients with symptoms should call first Health officials urged anyone who has been exposed and believes they have measles symptoms to call their health care provider before visiting a medical office to make a plan that does not put others at risk. “People who believe they have symptoms of measles should not go directly to medical offices, urgent care centers or emergency departments – unless experiencing a medical emergency – without calling in advance,” Clark County officials said. Measles is a contagious virus that spreads through the air through coughing and sneezing. Symptoms such as high fever, rash all over the body, stuffy nose and red eyes typically disappear without treatment within two or three weeks. One or two of every 1,000 children who get measles will die from complications, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1978, the CDC set a goal to eliminate measles from the United States by 1982. Measles was declared eliminated – defined by absence of continuous disease transmission for greater than 12 months – from the United States in 2000. But there has been a recent rise in unvaccinated children. The proportion of children receiving no vaccine doses by 2 years old rose from 0.9% among those born in 2011 to 1.3% among those born in 2015, the CDC reported in October. The CDC recommends people get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to protect against those viruses. The typical recommendations are that children should get two doses of MMR vaccine, the first between 12 to 15 months of age and the second at 4 through 6 years old. CNN’s Dave Alsup contributed to this report