By: North Dakota Monitor staff
Five additional measles cases have been reported in Williams County, with health officials now concerned about community transmission, the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services said late Tuesday.
The new cases bring North Dakota’s total to nine.
The newly confirmed cases are people who were unvaccinated and had no reported contact with people previously diagnosed, the department said.
Four people diagnosed with measles were in Willison schools while infectious, according to a news release.
Unvaccinated students should be excluded from school for 21 days under North Dakota Century Code, the department said. Staff without documentation of the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine who were not born before 1957 should also be excluded. The department advised unvaccinated staff and children in the affected schools to stay home and monitor for symptoms.
These are the affected schools and dates of exclusion:
Missouri Ridge Elementary: May 7 – May 23
Williston Middle School: May 7 – May 21
Williston High School: May 7 – May 21
In addition, anyone who visited the Williston Walmart between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on April 29 is encouraged to monitor for symptoms and contact a health care provider if symptoms develop.
Because of concerns about community transmission, health officials recommend that all residents and visitors to Williams County ensure they are vaccinated against measles. Immunization records can be reviewed at hhs.nd.gov/IRR or by contacting a provider.
The Upper Missouri District Health Unit is holding vaccination clinics at 110 W. Broadway, Williston, from 1-7 p.m. Thursday and 8:30 to 6 p.m. Friday.
The department identified the first measles case on Friday, a Williams County child who was not vaccinated and believed to have contracted the illness from an out-of-state visitor. Four additional cases confirmed Monday were unvaccinated people who had contact with the child, officials said.
For information about measles, vaccines or local clinic availability, contact the HHS Immunization Unit at 701-328-2378 or visit hhs.nd.gov/measles.
