The Gallatin City-County Health Department says two adults and three children are isolating after confirmation they had measles. Health officials say they contracted the disease while traveling out of state, but could not say where. All of them were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.
The county health department is contacting people who may have been exposed. Officials say people who’ve been vaccinated don’t need to take any action.
People who aren’t vaccinated, or don’t know if they are, can get a vaccine within three days of exposure to minimize risk of getting sick. There are other options for people who are unable to get the vaccine, like children under six months old, or pregnant mothers.
Peter Bulger is with the medical director of the Gallatin City-County Health Department.
“We do expect more cases. Measles is the most contagious infection in the world. Especially with at least certain portions of our population having lower vaccine rates and being more susceptible, we do expect to see more cases.”
Bulger says federal estimates show older kids in Montana are vaccinated at higher rates than the national average, but he notes vaccination rates have been falling for younger children.
The most recent federal estimate says 86% of Montana children under two years old had received a vaccine, slightly below the national average. But data in recent years hasn’t been available because a 2021 state law stopped schools from collecting vaccine status from students.
A bill that would restart that data collection has stalled in the Legislature.
