Teenager on cruise ship in Alaska had measles

A teenager visiting Alaska on the 'Norwegian Jewel' had the measles, prompting concern that passengers may spread the rarely-seen virus further. A group of passengers who may have contacted the patient disembarked in Seward from the ship on Aug 13, 2018. On Aug 14, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services warned health care providers to look out for measles symptoms like rashes, runny noses, fevers and red eyes from passengers who may have contracted the disease. Health officials called the risk of secondary cases low. The patient was at the tail end of infectiousness when she boarded and was placed in medical isolation shortly after boarding the ship in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Aug. 6. The ship docked in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Glacier Bay before the cruise ended in Seward. Several days prior to the cruise, the patient reported waking up with a rash, fever and cold-like symptoms after a trip to Thailand. The patient’s parents, traveling with her, reported that she had never received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. On Aug. 8, the patient, a 16-year-old non-U.S. citizen was transferred to PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center for care. Doctors diagnosed her with measles on Aug. 10, several hours after her discharge from the hospital. At that point, she was no longer considered contagious. Though the disease is highly contagious, the risk of passing it on is very low after four days after the onset of a rash. Health officials believed the patient boarded the ship the fourth day after rash symptoms began, giving them reason to believe she wasn’t highly contagious while in contact with anyone who may still be in Alaska. The disease has a 7-21 day incubation period. The first day a passenger may show symptoms would have been Monday, seven days after encountering the measles patient. Anyone who contracted the virus is expected to show symptoms before Aug. 27.