The Archuleta County Board of Health (BoH) discussed measles outbreaks that have been reported in surrounding states, including Texas and New Mexico, during its regular meeting held on March 20.
Public Health Director Ashley Wilson informed the board of current department plans and preparations for “if and when” a case is reported in the state or in Archuleta County.
“There are measles outbreaks in surrounding states,” Wilson said, explaining she has been meeting with regional partners as well as with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to monitor the situation.
Wilson explained that the county’s public health department does not provide testing for measles, noting that local care facilities do.
“In a large outbreak that may change,” Wilson said.
She went on to explain that if someone tests positive for measles there is an isolation request, noting infants and unvaccinated individuals have a higher chance of testing positive.
She explained that if unvaccinated individuals are exposed to the virus, there is a 21-day stay-at-home request, noting that education efforts are being done with schools so that families are aware of potential consequences in missing a prolonged amount of school if their child is unvaccinated and exposed to the virus.
“The best way to prevent measles is through vaccination,” Wilson said, explaining there are coordination efforts happening to ensure more vaccines are available to the community if needed.
Wilson also mentioned there is “some evidence” that a vaccine may still be effective even after being exposed to the virus.
“As of right now there are no positive cases in the state of Colorado,” she said.
Wilson explained that her department is mainly responsible for contact tracing, explaining that if there is a positive case in the county, her department would be responsible for identifying and contacting anyone who was exposed.
BoH president Jon Bruss mentioned that although the board can not mandate any vaccine policy, it would be beneficial to know what care facility and school staff are vaccinated in order to mitigate potential risks.
Wilson explained that anyone unvaccinated is a “particular risk,” explaining that most medical facilities have vaccine requirements for employment.
Commissioner Warren Brown, also a BoH member, commented that some sort of public outreach or notification about traveling to places with active outbreaks may also be beneficial.
Wilson explained that her department does not want to cause a “mass hysteria,” but noted that there would likely be some public engagement informing the community about traveling to places with active outbreaks over the spring break period.
Wilson went on to explain that individuals are considered immune if they’ve had their standard childhood vaccines that should have included two shots, one around a year old and another around the age of 4 or 5.
“At this point they’re not recommending boosters for anyone who got the two series,” she said, explaining the vaccines provide up to a 95 percent protection rate after receiving both doses.
However, Wilson also indicated that there is a “sensitive period” of birth years that may not be fully protected. While not certain on the range of years, Wilson estimated that it could range in birth years from the 1950s to 1960s.
She noted that boosters are available for those “sensitive” years.
Wilson also noted that the county’s public health department, along with each public care facility, has vaccines available.
Emergency shelter plans
At the end of the meeting, BoH member Commissioner Veronica Medina inquired about a list of services the health department is able to provide in times of emergency, along with potential locations that may be available to use as warming centers or disaster housing.
Wilson explained there was “some confusion” around what the public health department was able to provide during the most recent extended power outage that occurred in February and left some Archuleta County residents without power for six hours.
“We don’t have a way to make oxygen and we do not keep bottles of oxygen available,” she said, explaining that people can, however, use the public health department building located at 502 S. 8th St. to charge their oxygen concentrator systems.
This helps keep room at emergency centers clear, Wilson mentioned, explaining the department’s building has a generator available for power backup.
Medina also noted there was “a lot of confusion” during the February power outage, specifically from seniors in the community looking for a place to go and get warm.
Medina indicated that the Town of Pagosa Springs has offered the Ross Aragon Community Center as a space to use in emergency situations.
Wilson mentioned that she is working with the town to identify potential funding opportunities for a generator for the community center.
Medina also mentioned that Pagosa Springs High School could be set up as a shelter location in the event of an emergency.
Bruss encouraged the board to “think more broadly” on the topic, mentioning that certain shelter types and functions may be required for certain disasters that might affect the local area.
Bruss specifically mentioned that a shelter may be needed in the event of a large forest fire, which would require air ventilation equipment.
Wilson explained that in the event of a disaster, “we don’t necessarily have an ideal location,” adding that no community has a venue equipped to accommodate any situation.
Brown mentioned that having reliable communication in the event of a cellular outage is important, suggesting the community look into establishing something “a little less technological,” such as an analog system.
“That is one of the most concerning things to me,” Brown said in regard to not being able to communicate with other county officials during an emergency.
clayton@pagosasun.com
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