Marion County Health and Human Services is investigating whether Woodburn area residents recently exposed to the measles virus in Washington State may be at risk for measles. Public health officials are monitoring the exposure and offering advice on preventing further spread of the virus.

At this time there are no confirmed cases of measles in Marion County. Public health officials will provide updates as additional information becomes available. The Marion County Public Health Division can be reached at (503) 588-5621.

Measles is caused by a virus that can quickly and easily spread from person to person. However, many Oregonians are vaccinated against measles and general risk to the community is low. 

Persons are considered immune (not susceptible) to measles if any of the following apply:

• They were born before 1957.
• They are certain they have had measles.
• They are up to date on measles vaccines (one dose for children 12 months through 3 years old, two doses for school children, adolescents, college students, and adults who work in health care; one dose for other adults).
• Laboratory testing shows they have antibodies to measles.

High-risk groups include unvaccinated people (including babies too young to be vaccinated), travelers to areas where measles is prevalent and health care workers. Measles is more severe in infants and children under 5 years of age, in pregnant women, in adults over 20 years of age and in people with limited immune systems.

Patients with measles symptoms (fever and rash) should phone their health care provider in advance to arrange to be seen where other patients will not be exposed.

An infected person can spread measles from four days before to four days after the rash appears. The virus can live up to two hours in an airspace where an infected person coughed or sneezed.

Measles symptoms include:

• Measles symptoms often begin with fever, cough, a runny nose and red, watery eyes.
• A rash breaks out three to five days after symptoms begin. The rash usually begins on the face and then spreads over the entire body.
• A person’s fever may spike to more than 104° F. After a few days, the rash and fever begin to go away.
• Symptoms usually begin seven to 14 days after exposure. However, signs of illness may occur as early as eight days or as late as 18 days after exposure.

For more information about measles visit the Marion County website at http://www.co.marion.or.us/HLT/Pages/Measles.aspx.

Beginning Monday, March 10, 2019, the Marion County Dog Shelter is introducing new public hours. The shelter will be open Monday – Friday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Additionally, dog control enforcement will be expanded to provide weekend service.

“The new hours are in response to community requests for evening shelter hours,” said Community Service Director Tamra Goettsch. “By staying open later we’ll be more responsive for found dog intake and lost dog returns, reuniting people and their pets that much faster.”  The expansion of dog control hours will allow dog control officers to increase dog safety services throughout Marion County. 

Purchasing of dog licenses and adoption services will be available during the shelter’s public hours.

Dog license and other fees will increase beginning February 1. Dog license and impound fees and fines are part of the shelter’s annual operating budget and are used to help cover the cost of shelter operations, including dog control officers who help maintain community safety. This will be the first increase in fees for the dog shelter since 2011 and the first increase to licensing fees since 2002. 

License fees for will increase from $17 to $20 annually for altered dogs and from $32 to $37 for non-altered dogs. Discounted fees are available for multi-year licenses and for senior dog owners. A full fee schedule is attached.

For more information about Marion Dog Services fees and hours, visit www.mcdogs.net, call (503) 588-5233, or email dog@co.marion.or.us. 

About Marion County Dog Services:

Marion County Dog Services operates the county dog shelter whose mission is to provide shelter and care for stray dogs until they are reunited with their families or adopted; enforcing Marion County dog licensing and control ordinances; promoting humane treatment of dogs; and educating residents on quality dog care.