Kootenai County Measles Case Triggers Exposure Alert at Spokane Hospital

An unvaccinated child from Kootenai County was confirmed to have measles after spending several hours in the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center emergency departments in Spokane while infectious, the Panhandle Health District announced. The case, identified on March 19, is the first measles infection in an Idaho resident since 2023 and the first in the northern Panhandle since 1991.

Anyone who was in Providence Sacred Heart's Pediatric or Adult Emergency Departments on Saturday, March 14, between 12:48 p.m. and 5:52 p.m., or on Sunday, March 15, between 10:41 a.m. and 4:53 p.m., may have been exposed to the virus.

"Measles is a serious contagious disease, and the message is absolutely critical that if you or your child is not vaccinated, you need to get vaccinated," said Dr. Francisco Velázquez, health officer for the Spokane Regional Health District.

The Panhandle Health District said it is working to determine how the child contracted measles and is contacting all known locations the individual visited while infectious. The two Providence Sacred Heart emergency department windows are the only publicly confirmed exposure sites so far, though additional locations may be identified.

The case carries added urgency because measles can spread up to four days before the characteristic rash appears, meaning infected individuals may not yet know they are sick. Symptoms typically begin with high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes, with a rash developing three to five days later, starting on the face and spreading down the body. Tiny white spots inside the mouth, known as Koplik spots, can appear two to three days after initial symptoms. The rash itself typically emerges seven to 14 days after exposure.

People most vulnerable to serious illness include unvaccinated individuals, pregnant people, infants under six months old, and those with weakened immune systems.

The Spokane Regional Health District advised anyone who believes they were exposed and is experiencing symptoms to call their health care provider before going in person to any medical facility, to avoid potentially spreading the virus further.

The case does not stand alone in the region. Idaho health officials announced separately that a third confirmed measles case in the state involves an unvaccinated child in Bonner County, with no known link established between that case and the Kootenai County situation. A discrepancy in agency communications complicates the picture: the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare noted in a parenthetical that the Bonner County case is the same one the Spokane Regional Health District originally identified as involving a Kootenai County resident, while also acknowledging a separate, unrelated Kootenai County case from the prior week. PHD, SRHD, and DHW have not yet issued a unified public statement reconciling the county attributions.

State epidemiologist Dr. Christine Hahn put the pattern plainly: "Without any link between these two confirmed cases in north Idaho or travel outside of their communities, it's reasonable to suspect that there is more measles circulating."

Washington state has recorded 28 measles cases this year, including one in Stevens County just across the state line, though whether the Idaho cases are connected to that outbreak remains unclear.

The MMR vaccine is the primary tool for prevention. People with questions about their vaccination status can contact the Panhandle Health District's public information manager, Katherine Hoyer, at (208) 415-5108. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare also directs residents to measles resources at cdc.gov/measles/about/index.html.