Dr. Mary Anne Jackson, Children's Mercy Division of Infectious Diseases
Part of our challenge was many, many exposure sites. This included our daycare center, this included a megachurch, this included elementary and middle schools, this included multiple health care settings including Children’s Mercy and pediatricians’ offices in multiple different counties.
Dr. Mary Anne Jackson, Children's Mercy Division of Infectious Diseases
Kansas City,
12
June
2018
|
10:13 AM
America/Chicago

Kansas City Star: Kansas City's two measles outbreaks are over

By Andy Marso

When Kansas City found itself in the grips of not one but two measles outbreaks in March, Tiffany Wallin, a disease investigator for the Johnson County Health Department, was working on it nearly around the clock.

At an infectious disease conference last month, Wallin described being in almost constant contact with a specialist at Children’s Mercy Hospital who was providing recommendations on halting the spread of the highly contagious virus.

“I think we probably talked every hour on the hour, late into the night and on the weekend going, ‘Can you believe this is happening?’” Wallin said.

The strangely simultaneous outbreaks are both officially over, as of Monday, when there had been no new cases in 42 days, or two full incubation periods.

“Part of our challenge was many, many exposure sites,” Dr. Mary Anne Jackson of Children’s Mercy said. “This included our daycare center, this included a megachurch, this included elementary and middle schools, this included multiple health care settings including Children’s Mercy and pediatricians’ offices in multiple different counties. So you can see how difficult it is to halt the spread of measles once it gets within your community.”

 

Read the full story via the Kansas City Star.

Learn more about the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Mercy.