Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases — more contagious than the flu, COVID, and polio. It’s also dangerous, with a risk of lung or brain infections that could kill or cause life-long disabilities for children and adults. It was once believed measles had been eradicated in the U.S., but in the last month:

• King County reported its first measles case of 2025, an infant who was possibly exposed during an overseas trip.

• A child died in a measles outbreak in Texas, the first U.S. measles death in a decade.

• Measles has been reported in nine states, at outbreak levels in three states. Twenty percent of the reported cases have required hospitalization.

Most people who get measles have not been vaccinated. Fortunately, two doses of vaccine give you 97% protection from measles. The vaccine is called MMR, which stands for measles-mumps-rubella. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children get the first dose at age 12-15 months and the second dose at age 4 to 6 before going to school.

Dr. Zach Miller, an infectious disease specialist with Vashon Medical Reserve Corps, advises that “people check on what measles immunizations they and their children have received. If unsure if their immunizations are adequate, they should speak with a healthcare provider.”

Adults born before 1957 are presumed to have natural immunity against measles because there were no vaccines to prevent infection at the time, so most children contracted the disease. Public health experts suggest that adults vaccinated before 1968 and without natural immunity from contracting measles get another dose of the MMR vaccine because early vaccines were less effective than later ones. Finally, adults vaccinated between 1968 and 1989 likely only received one dose of the MMR vaccine, which provides less protection (93%) than two doses.

Adults at higher risk of contracting the disease (for example, those who work in health care, travel internationally, or live in a community with a measles outbreak) may want to ask their healthcare provider about getting an additional dose to ensure they are protected.

The MMR vaccine is available on Vashon Island at:

• Vashon Pharmacy — appointments and walk-ins. Call 206-463-9118 or visit vashonpharmacy.com.

• Sea Mar — appointments with a nurse for existing patients and with a provider for new patients. Call 206-463-3671.

• Vashon Natural Medicine — appointments for existing patients age 18 years and younger only. Call 206-463-4778.

• Vashon Island Fire & Rescue’s Mobile Integrated Health can provide homebound patients with immunizations by appointment. Call 206-463-2405 or visit vifr.org/mih.

You can check the state’s vaccination registry at myirmobile.com to learn which vaccines you and your children have received in Washington State, or you can ask your healthcare provider to check the records for you.

The CDC urges anyone exposed to measles to call their healthcare provider immediately. Nine out of ten susceptible people with close contact to the measles virus will be infected. If you are exposed to measles and have not been vaccinated or previously had measles, you should contact your healthcare provider and avoid contact with others for 21 days following your last exposure to avoid infecting others.

The first disease symptoms usually appear 7 to 14 days after exposure and include a cough, runny nose, red eyes and a fever that becomes high over several days. This is followed by a rash that typically starts on the head and neck.

Visit tinyurl.com/measles-symptoms for more information about measles symptoms and complications.

Visit tinyurl.com/measles-outbreaks for the latest facts about current measles outbreaks.

Power outages: Why does it take so long?

It’s tough when a windstorm takes down your electric service. Cold. Reading by flashlight. Doing without morning coffee. A power outage measured in days instead of hours can be especially annoying. You wonder: “What’s taking so long?”

The answer: It’s a complex, multi-step process that requires many highly skilled restoration crews working around the clock in risky conditions. Here are the steps Puget Sound Energy (PSE) follows during a major outage.

Assessment: Damage assessors first visit damaged locations, often a tangle of downed trees, broken power poles, and snarls of wire. They analyze what’s needed to rebuild the damaged spot. They are also the first to see things like mudslides, impassable or narrow roads, or fallen trees that can change how repair is approached.

Priorities: Priorities are planned. First, fixing high-voltage transmission lines that serve thousands or hundreds of thousands of customers. Then, distribution substations, which give PSE the linking and switching ability to reroute power around damaged areas. Once power is restored to a general area, crews can repair downed or damaged wires between utility poles and homes and businesses. Priority for power restoration also goes to essential services such as hospitals and water/wastewater systems.

Logistics: Based on assessor reports, the utility’s Emergency Coordination Center starts moving crews to damaged locations and ordering supplies of wire, poles, and transformers. When the damage is extensive, crews are often called in from out of state to help with restoration efforts. Vegetation management crews must clear fallen trees to allow access before restoration efforts can begin.

Construction: Once it is safe to work, crews begin their restoration efforts. Depending on the damage, this can involve many different pieces of equipment, such as augers to install new utility poles and bucket trucks to string new power lines. Everything is done to keep crews working on repairs and not waiting for the material needed to restore power. Crews work around the clock until all power has been restored.