Patient With Measles Being Treated at Seattle Children’s
February 27, 2025
Seattle Children’s is treating a pediatric patient who has tested positive for measles. The patient was seen at the Emergency Department and met criteria to test for measles. Emergency Department staff members followed appropriate screening processes of the patient and their family members at the visit and quickly implemented appropriate infection control procedures, which include isolating the patient and reporting to King County Public Health.
Based on the symptoms and incubation period, the patient was determined to be infectious or able to spread measles as of Feb. 20. There are two potential exposure windows at the Seattle Children’s Emergency Department:
- Feb. 21 from 10:30 p.m. through Feb. 22 at 2:15 a.m.
- Feb. 25 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
We are notifying patients and families who may have been exposed, providing information about the exposure date and disease symptoms.
Public Health - Seattle & King County has shared a list of sites of possible community exposure.
Directing Patient’s to Seattle Children’s Who May Have Measles
At Seattle Children’s we have patients who may have measles enter the ED by an alternate route to avoid exposing other patients. If you are considering sending a patient for evaluation or treatment of measles, please call Mission Control at 206-987-8899 before sending the patient – they will work with our teams to facilitate evaluation while reducing exposure.
Patients and Families Self-Screening for Measles
Seattle Children’s is updating measles screening signs at all clinical locations. These signs ask all patients and families to self-screen for symptoms and if they have recently traveled to areas with confirmed measles cases. Signs will remain in effect until further notice or when there are no active concerns for measles spread in the community.
About Measles
Measles is a highly contagious disease, but it is preventable with vaccines. A patient with measles can expose a large number of people within healthcare settings, so identifying potential cases early is crucial.
Measles symptoms include:
- Fever of more than 100.0° F (37.8° C).
- Cough
- Eye redness
- Runny nose
- Rash
Measles Resources for Healthcare Providers
- Measles One-Pager for Healthcare Providers (AAP)
- Measles - For Healthcare Professionals (CDC)
- Measles Specimen Collection Instructions for RT-PCR (DOH)
- Measles Specimen Collection Instructions for Serology (DOH)
- Immunization Schedules (CDC)
- Safety Information for Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) Vaccines (CDC)
- Recognizing Measles in Your Patients (Pediatric Pandemic Network)