US: In the fight against measles, science and detective work join forces

(latimes.com) - The battle to halt the spread of the measles outbreak that began at Disneyland has required both infectious disease expertise and a good amount of old-fashioned detective work.

Health officials in California and seven other states have painstakingly traced the steps of measles patients, tried to identify anyone who came in contact with them, and quarantined those at greatest risk of getting the highly contagious disease to keep the virus from spreading.

It's a trail that has taken them to grocery stores, gyms, farmers markets, hospitals, post offices, banks, schools, a casino and even Starbucks and Wal-Mart. Shoppers at Costco in Gilroy were greeted with a public notice stating: "If you were in this store on Sunday January 18, 2015 between 4:00-6:00 p.m., you may have been exposed to measles."

In Arizona, which is hosting the Super Bowl on Sunday, health officials have been busy compiling a list of 1,000 people who might have been exposed to measles based on the movements of seven infected patients. They are urging unvaccinated children and adults in that group to stay away from public places for 21 days.

"All it takes is a quick trip to the Costco before you're ill and, bam, you've just exposed a few hundred people," Arizona Department of Health Services Director Will Humble said. "We're at a real critical juncture."

Officials are using a tried-and-true playbook for tracing infectious diseases. But it's on a much grander scale than recent measles outbreaks because it started at a bustling international tourist destination and has spread across multiple states as well as Mexico. Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expressed concerns Thursday that it could spread further.

Some experts credit the fast and aggressive response with keeping the number of cases from exploding. There are 98 cases reported in eight states and Mexico, including 82 in California.

There could easily have been many more cases had the outbreak been detected later by health officials. Full Story