The measles outbreak in southern Iowa is starting to affect Greater Regional Health, Chief of Staff Dr. Matthew Epp reported Monday during a hospital board of directors meeting. State and local health officials have reported 17 confirmed cases in southern Iowa this month. While Epp said there were 13 positive cases in Adams County, Iowa Health and Human Services reports 9 positive in District 4, a 14-county area including Union and Adams counties.  

Dr. Matthew Epp

“The reality is that I’ve done medicine 25 years and I’ve never seen a measles case in my career. Not one,” Epp said. “So this is where natural immunizations have essentially eradicated a disease which was catastrophic, not necessarily because it’s overwhelmingly deadly but because it’s just so highly contagious.”

While measles usually doesn’t cause long-term issues, it can be serious or deadly, especially in children and people with compromised immune systems. The Mayo Clinic says that measles symptoms show up between 7 and 14 days after contact with the virus. The first symptoms are usually a fever, dry cough, runny nose and pink eye. About 14 days after first coming in contact with the virus, a rash spreads across the body made up of large, flat spots and small raised bumps is common. 

The Mayo Clinic says that “about 90% of people who haven’t had measles or haven’t been vaccinated will become infected when around someone with measles.” Meanwhile, the CDC says that for people who have had two doses of the measles vaccine, only 3% are likely to get measles. Those who have only received one dose of the vaccine have a 7% chance of getting it.

The measles vaccination is normally combined with the vaccinations for mumps and rubella, known as the MMR vaccine. Typically, the vaccine comes in two doses, the first at 12-15 months old and the second at 4 to 6 years old. 

Not only does the measles outbreak cause health issues, but Epp said the hospital could see some care and financial problems come up as well.

“Every time you have somebody walk through that says I may be exposed or you test them, boom, wherever they’ve gone is shut down,” Epp said. “You have one person with an actual measles case walk in the building, boom, hospital shut down, revenue stream gone. These are the things we struggle with here. If you walk in the building, then you’re disrupting healthcare for a lot of people for a long time and it’s a problem. And this is something one vaccination eradicated.”

While the measles vaccine is accessible for most living in Union County, there is a small subsection of residents who don’t have an easy option.

“On Friday, Karla Hynes and Hannah Jackson, they both work for us in public health, went out to the local Amish and Mennonite communities,” GRH Chief Operating Officer Carol Eckels said. “They went to 10 locations, talked about the measles, talked about the possibility of looking at vaccination, handed out flyers and went to the country stores and hung up literature. They had good conversations there, and although Karla said no one opted to get the immunization, she said there was some good education and she felt like it was worthwhile.”

Those interested in getting the MMR vaccination should contact GRH at 641-782-7091 or Union County Public Health at 641-782-3545.

In other hospital news…

Completion of the Cottonwood trail is expected before winter, GRH Chief Financial Officer Matt McCutchan reports. Bids came in last week, with TK Concrete getting the winning bid. McCutchan said this is the same company that has done parking lot and trail repair in the past. 

The board approved a donation of $100,000 to The Strand Theater to assist in accessibility, specifically with ADA compliant bathrooms. 

The hospital is getting ready to welcome a new batch of Southwestern Community College nursing students. GRH Chief Nursing Officer Brook Owen said that 16 SWCC RN students are expected to start working at the hospital on Sept. 8, while a number of LPN students will start later this year.