An AFP reader with stage 4 colorectal cancer was told she was exposed to the measles virus after being admitted to the emergency department at UVA Health University Medical Center to be treated for pneumonia last week.
Her doctor with UVA Health Augusta is now telling her that she “cannot be seen for 28 days due to the exposure,” she told me by email, “which prevents any follow-up on the pneumonia, as well as denying me two chemotherapy infusions, which could ultimately cost me my life. In order to prevent any possible spread of measles, which their recommendation and poor care put me at risk of, in the first place.”
ICYMI
The story that was shared with us by the reader, whose name we are not sharing, so as not to add to the difficulty of her situation, is indeed harrowing.
A week ago, on May 22, the woman developed a high fever and chills, and called her cancer specialist for advice, and was told to go to the emergency department at UVA.
“I was admitted to UVA ED on the 22nd, diagnosed with pneumonia, but they had no beds available, so I was stuck there sharing the bathroom down the hall with all other patients until nearly midnight on the 23rd, in spite of being doubly immunocompromised. That exposed me to the measles case,” the woman wrote.
After being discharged, she got a call from UVA Health the next day “telling me I had to come back for an infusion of IVIG to protect me from contracting the measles. They told me the infusion would last about an hour and they’d keep me for an hour for observation, and that I should come in ASAP.”
I had to look up what IVIG is. IVIG, according to the Google machine, refers to intravenous immunoglobulin, a treatment that involves infusing purified antibodies into a person’s vein to help boost their immune system, and is used to help people who have weakened immune systems, autoimmune disorders, or those at risk of infection
Our reader did as directed, got the IVIG shot, and then followed up with her UVA Health Augusta doctor regarding her next scheduled chemotherapy infusion.
That’s when she got word that she can’t be seen for 28 days due to the measles exposure.
We reported last week that a Charlottesville-area teenager who recently travelled internationally had officially been confirmed as the second measles case of the year in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
The patient, a teenager between the ages of 13 and 17, recently travelled internationally, per the VDH report, which noted that health officials were coordinating efforts to identify anyone who might have been exposed.
We know at least one of them.
ICYMI
- Virginia Department of Health tracing potential exposure to measles through child
- Blue Ridge Poison Center: Too much vitamin A, touted as a measles cure, can kill you
- Exposed to measles? Maybe, if you’ve travelled through NOVA airports, Washington area metro
- Department of Health: Confirmed case of measles in Virginia; two dead nationwide due to outbreak
Measles is preventable through a safe and effective MMR vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine are given to provide lifetime protection.
According to VDH, Virginia has high measles vaccination rates, with approximately 95 percent of kindergarteners fully vaccinated against measles.
But according to the CDC, more than 1,000 confirmed measles cases have been reported in 31 states – a full 25 years after we’d declared measles to have been eliminated, back in 2000, with a resurgence fueled by waning vaccination rates among the you-know-whos.
It’s doubtful that our reader with stage 4 colorectal cancer who has been exposed will actually contract the measles virus, but if the exposure keeps her from getting her scheduled cancer treatments – well, you can see why she’d be worried.
I reached out to UVA Health to try to learn more about what the reader was told about her treatment plan, and got this back from Eric Swensen, the public information officer over there.
“All patients who were determined to need to be quarantined after being exposed to measles are being individually assessed for their care needs during their quarantine period. For patients that need to be seen for cancer therapy or infusion therapy during their quarantine period, UVA Health is developing treatment protocols to get patients the care they need while protecting the health of all patients and care providers,” Swensen wrote to us in an email.
Potential exposure sites
Potential exposure sites in Virginia include:
- May 20: Charlottesville Albemarle Airport, 2:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- May 20: Play it Again Sports, 1885 Seminole Trail, Charlottesville, 2:40 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- May 20: Goodwill Store and Donation Center, 440 Gander Drive, Charlottesville, 3:10 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- May 22: UVA Health Primary Care Riverside, 2335 Seminole Lane, Suite 200, Charlottesville, 2 p.m. to 7:10 p.m.
- May 23: UVA Health University Medical Center Emergency Department, 1215 Lee St., Charlottesville, 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.
VDH: What to do if you may have been exposed to measles
- If you have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, or were born before 1957, you are protected and do not need to take any action.
- If you have never received a measles containing vaccine (either the measles, mumps and rubella [MMR] vaccine or a measles-only vaccine which is available in other countries), you may be at risk of developing measles. Anyone who might have been exposed and is considered to be at risk of developing measles should contact their healthcare provider immediately.
- Non-immune individuals may qualify for post-exposure treatments. People who might have been exposed and are not immune should contact their health care provider immediately to coordinate administration of post-exposure prophylaxis.
- Watch for symptoms for 21 days after the date of your potential exposure. If you notice symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home. Contact your healthcare provider right away. If you need to seek healthcare, call ahead before going to your healthcare provider’s office or the emergency room to notify them that you may have been exposed to measles and ask them to call the local health department. This call will help protect other patients and staff.
- Anyone with an immunocompromising condition should consult with their healthcare provider if they have questions or develop symptoms.
- If you have received only one dose of a measles-containing vaccine, you are very likely to be protected and your risk of being infected with measles from any of these exposures is very low. However, to achieve the highest level of protection, contact your healthcare provider about getting a second vaccine dose.
For more information about measles visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/measles.
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Chris Graham
