Tamine Robinson, 28, strapped her 1-year-old daughter Riley into her car seat in the lobby of Legacy Medical Group’s Family Wellness office in Vancouver on Friday.
“Well, that’s a relief,” said Riley’s grandmother, Cindi Robinson, as she watched the baby get settled.
Riley turned a year old in late February. And on Friday, she received her first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine as part of a free MMR vaccination drive happening on four Fridays this month. Legacy Health and Clark County Public Health joined forces to offer the free clinic, aiming to improve local vaccination rates during the outbreak that has tallied 68 confirmed measles cases in Clark County, after three new cases were identified Friday.
In late January, Tamine Robinson and her daughter moved from Utah to Battle Ground.
“It was a little scary because we heard on the news that there was a big outbreak, and we’re moving here, and she’s too young to get the vaccine,” Robinson said. “We didn’t want to take her anywhere where there are a lot of people.”
Robinson said she was nervous to take Riley to grocery stores, church or any area where large crowds congregate. As a young mother, Robinson said she’s encountered some of the misinformation regarding vaccination, but for her, getting Riley vaccinated was never in question.
“Some of my friends have a different perspective than I do, but I have a lot of people in my family who work in health care, so it’s something I knew was always going to happen,” she said.
Robinson had plans Friday night to attend a family member’s birthday at Outback Steakhouse. She said the vaccination provided relief.
“We’re going to dinner tonight and I don’t feel like I need to worry about someone is sneezing on her or something,” she said.
Future clinics
Bryan Goodin, the Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center manager for employee services, was at the clinic Friday. A handful of people visited in the afternoon, and Legacy had stacked up 1,000 vaccinations in case of a rush. Goodin said he didn’t expect that many people to show up, but didn’t want to be in a position where he had to turn anyone away.
Goodin explained that since the outbreak seems to be tailing off somewhat, now is a good time to refocus on prevention for the future. He explained that Legacy was offering the clinic for free and to those without insurance as a way to reach people who might not get vaccinated otherwise.
Goodin explained there are many reasons beyond myths around safety or effectiveness that people might not get vaccinated. He said some people don’t get vaccinated because they don’t have insurance or a primary provider. Or maybe they’re undocumented, and are afraid to visit a doctor’s office. Or maybe they don’t have insurance and can’t afford a shot from the pharmacy.
“I don’t expect this is all about people who don’t have the vaccine, and this (outbreak) is changing their mind,” Goodin said. “I think there’s financial and access barriers on top of that.”
Nearly three times the number of people who usually get vaccines during this time of year have sought the shot since the outbreak began two months ago. But Clark County Public Health Director Dr. Alan Melnick has said he’s worried those rates will dip once the outbreak subsides.
Goodin explained some of that is just human nature, but he does think there are measures that will help area immunization in the future. Goodin said there could be an immunization program implemented in Clark County, and he said health care workers could refine their approach to talking to people about the vaccines.
“I’d really like to get a more in-depth understanding by the health providers so that we can get more comfortable answering questions,” he said. “Because it’s not OK to say, ‘What you’ve said is wrong and the science is against you,’ and walk away. We actually need to be communicating with these people on what their concerns are. Whether or not I think it’s valid is irrelevant. I need to be able to explain to them with science-backing in a way they want to hear.”
New cases
Clark County Public Health has identified three new confirmed cases of measles and two more suspected cases Friday. There are now 68 cases in Clark County.
Public Health hasn’t identified any new exposure locations. For a complete list of exposure sites, visit: www.columbian.com/news/2019/jan/29/measles-exposure-sites.
Of the 68 confirmed Clark County measles cases, 49 involve children younger than 11. There are 15 cases between the ages of 11 and 18, one between the ages of 19 and 29, and two between the ages of 30 and 39.
In 59 cases, the patients were not immunized and the immunization status of seven others remains unverified. There are two cases in which patients had received one of the two recommended doses of the vaccine.
For more information on the outbreak, visit Clark County Public Health’s measles investigation webpage: Clark.wa.gov/public-health/measles-investigation.
Although Clark County has the most cases, other confirmed measles cases have been identified in King County and the Portland area.
The Oregon Health Authority said Friday that someone from Illinois visited Portland International Airport and locations in Marion County while contagious with measles. The case is unrelated to Clark County’s cases. That individual visited the following locations in Portland and Salem:
• Youth With a Mission, 7 a.m. Feb. 18 through 1 p.m. Feb. 22, 7085 Battle Creek Road S.E., Salem.
• Get Air Trampoline Park, 1:45 to 5 p.m., Feb. 21, 3910 Rickey St. S.E., Salem.
• Red Robin, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., Feb. 21, 831 Lancaster Dr. N.E., Salem.
• Portland International Airport, 12:30 to 5 p.m., Feb. 22, Southwest Airlines check-in area and Concourse C.
Columbian staff writer Katie Gillespie contributed to this report.
