HELENA — Lewis & Clark Public Health confirmed a measles exposure case event in Helena that occurred at several businesses on Sunday, June 15. Although there are no confirmed cases of measles in Lewis & Clark County at this time, public health anticipates those confirmed cases to appear in the coming weeks.
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"We do expect to see cases to come from this particular exposure; there was a lot of community exposure that occurred, " said Drenda Niemann, a health officer at Lewis and Clark Public Health.
The exposure event happened June 15 when a resident of another county visited the T.J. Maxx, Costco, Old Navy, MacKenzie River Pizza Co., and Town Pump at 2910 North Montana Avenue in Helena between the hours of 2 pm and 6 pm.
Below are the specific exposure times for each establishment:
- T.J. Maxx – June 15, 2 - 4 p.m.
- Costco – June 15, 2 - 4 p.m.
- Old Navy – June 15, 2:15 - 5:15 p.m.
- MacKenzie River Pizza – June 15, 3:15 - 6 p.m.
- Town Pump (2910 N. Montana Ave) – June 15, 4 - 6 p.m.
Public health is conducting follow-up investigations to identify exposed individuals.
Niemann says, "Another step we will be taking is communication directly with those businesses."
The exposed establishments have been informed of the event through a phone call and a letter with the next steps.
And as for individuals who are unvaccinated and not immune to the measles virus, who visited the listed businesses.
"Those individuals can then fill out our self-referral form on our website," said Niemann.
The first symptoms of measles usually appear about 7 to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose, red watery eyes, and/or white spots in the mouth.
Niemann said, "We ask anyone who has been exposed to watch for symptoms for up to 21 days, so individuals who are not immune or not vaccinated against measles stay home."
If you or someone you know is having measles symptoms, call your medical provider before arriving for treatment to ensure the safety of others.
