Doctors address state's measles outbreak
An influx of soccer fans and cruise travelers poses concerns amid Washington's measles spike this year, say infectious-disease and virology specialists.Media Contact: Susan Gregg - 206-390-3226, sghanson@uw.edu
UW Medicine's virology lab is ramping up its ability to test for measles, a highly contagious virus that is spiking in Washington state this year, having already surpassed the case volume of 2025.
Two infectious-disease specialists said the local healthcare system is preparing for more cases, given the expected influx of hundreds of thousands of World Cup soccer fans and summer travelers to the greater Seattle area.
"Typically the virology lab would not be doing measles testing; we would send (test samples) to the state lab," said Dr. Alex Greninger, who leads UW Medicine’s Division of Infectious Disease Diagnostics in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.
Greninger and colleague Dr. Shireesha Dhanireddy discussed the lab testing process and the clinical implications of crowds of visitors from nations whose vaccination rates for measles are much lower than those in the United States.
They took reporters' questions during a livestreamed briefing March 11 at Harborview Medical Center, King County's public hospital, which is staffed by UW Medicine.
Dhanireddy, an infectious-disease doctor and UW Medicine’s associate chief medical officer, said measles is spread via airborne and surface-based respiratory droplets.
"After someone with measles has been in a space, if somebody else comes into that space immediately, there's a potential for transmission, as well," she said. "That's why, when we're thinking about large numbers of people in small spaces or crowded spaces, it becomes much bigger of a concern."
Related: Watch our archived livestream about measles cases and response in Washington state.