Flathead County health officials and experts are preparing for measles as an outbreak spreads in Texas and cases of the virus pop up across the United States.  

“If you are unvaccinated and you live in the Flathead, well our herd in the Flathead is not immune,” said Logan Health pediatrician Dr. Ken Graham last week, referencing herd immunity or when enough people are immune to a virus to make it difficult to spread.  

For measles, herd immunity is reached when roughly 94% of people are protected against the virus.   

About 86% of Montana’s two-year-olds have at least one dose of MMR vaccine, which covers measles, mumps and rubella, according to the state Department of Public Health and Human Services. That is slightly lower than the national average of 90%. But the level of protection in Flathead County is unknown. 

That’s because counties are no longer required to report vaccination rates after the passing of House Bill 334 in 2021. While county data is unavailable, Graham suggested that since the onset of Covid-19, vaccination rates have dropped across the board. Mistrust of vaccinations grew during the pandemic. 

On a national scale, vaccination coverage among kindergartners has decreased from 95.2% during the 2019–2020 school year to 92.7% in the 2023–2024 school year, leaving approximately 280,000 kindergartners at risk during the 2023–2024 school year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

A longtime opponent of vaccines, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested Americans consider the measles vaccine after the outbreak in Texas turned deadly in recent weeks. In a March 2 opinion piece published on Fox News Digital, he recommended parents in particular consult with physicians about it.  

“The decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” Kennedy wrote while highlighting good nutrition as “a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses.” 

Aside from the Texas outbreak, measles cases have popped up in nine states: Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Rhode Island. 

Back in the Flathead Valley, health experts like Graham have sought to assure people of the vaccine’s safety.  

“There’s so much misinformation but what we do know is this is entirely safe, we know that with certainty. And it does not cause autism. We know that with certainty,” Graham said. “If we don't get the message out, I’m really worried about Montana, especially as you get further north [in the state].”   

Graham said that vaccination rates are sometimes lower in rural communities, such as in Northwest Montana.  

County health officials said they would follow a standardized protocol to respond to an outbreak and adjust to circumstances on the ground.  

“We utilize the protocol as a guide, but our specific response will be altered slightly to best address an outbreak based on what disease is involved and other contributing factors,” said Lisa Dennison, population health manager for Flathead County. 

The best thing you can do if you suspect you have measles is to quarantine and contact a physician, Graham said. Measles is most notably a childhood respiratory infection that spreads easily and prove fatal. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, red, watery eyes and a spreading rash.  

While death rates have been falling worldwide as more children receive the measles vaccine, the virus still kills more than 200,000 people a year, according to the Mayo Clinic.  

As a result of high vaccination rates in the past, measles hasn't been widespread in the U.S. in about two decades. Most outbreaks occurring now are in people who were unvaccinated.  

Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].