Health care providers in Sedgwick County are preparing for the potential return of measles to the area for the first time in nearly a decade.
An outbreak of the highly contagious respiratory virus in Kansas has grown to 37 confirmed cases, prompting pleas from Gov. Laura Kelly for residents to get themselves and their children vaccinated. Most of the cases have been in southwest Kansas, with six in Kiowa County.
Measles has not been detected in the Wichita area so far this year — but doctors are bracing themselves for the possibility of a local outbreak.
“I think we’re going to have cases here in Sedgwick County,” said Dr. Rick Kellerman, a professor of family and community medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita. “I’m kind of surprised we haven’t had a case yet.”
WICHITA’S LAST confirmed measles case occurred in 2017 after an unvaccinated child from Butler County contracted the virus in Europe and infected another person on a flight home. More than 400 people in Sedgwick County were potentially exposed, according to state health officials.
Still, measles outbreaks are unusual — meaning many doctors lack first-hand experience treating measles patients.
That’s why Kellerman, who worked with measles patients in Salina in the 1990s, is trying to educate health professionals on how to test for and treat the virus without spreading it even further. On Wednesday, he and KU Medicine-Wichita pediatrics professor Robert Wittler are holding a virtual training for health care providers on clinical strategies for managing an outbreak.
One tip? Meet patients outside, in their cars, or consider making house calls — because bringing them into the office risks spreading the virus to everyone who’s unvaccinated in the building.
“Measles is so contagious,” Kellerman said, “that, even if you bring people in through the back door of your office, it can be transmitted through the ventilation system clear to the other side of the office.”
The virus can linger in the air for hours after an infected person leaves the room. The vast majority of people who are exposed to measles and lack immunity will contract the virus.
The Medical Society of Sedgwick County is distributing information to doctors ensuring they have the latest information on how the virus presents and how to test for it.
MEASLES symptoms often begin with a cough, runny nose and fever.
As the infection progresses, many kids develop small white spots inside their mouths and eventually a splotchy rash. Someone can be contagious for days before a rash breaks out, meaning many people spread the virus before they’re aware that they have it.
Sedgwick County health officer Garold Minns says parents who suspect their child may have measles should keep them home.
“Don’t take them to the movie theater. Don’t send them to school,” Minns said.
He says parents should notify their family physician — but don’t bring them anywhere in person without clearing it with staff ahead of time.
