Measles Epidemic Is Declared; 12 Infected : Health: County officials take steps to contain the highly contagious virus. More vaccine is ordered from the state.

Health officials declared a measles epidemic in Ventura County on Tuesday and immediately began taking steps to contain the highly contagious virus, which has already infected at least 12 adults and children.

Hospitals and clinics have been alerted to the epidemic, more vaccine has been ordered from the state, and information will be sent home to parents today informing them about the disease and where they can go for help.

“A measles epidemic has begun in Ventura County,” Dr. Gary Feldman, the county’s public health officer, told the Board of Supervisors. “We have every reason to believe that the case rates will increase rapidly.”

Although the county has only 1,000 doses of the vaccine available, an additional 4,000 doses are on their way and state health officials have assured the county it will supply the county with whatever is needed, officials said. Feldman said he would like to have as many as 50,000 doses on hand to combat the disease.

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Feldman told the supervisors that the Public Health Department may need to ask for additional funds to acquire more vaccine at a later date. Purchased in bulk from the state, the vaccine costs the county about $16 for a single dose, with patients paying anywhere from $25 to $50 a shot.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 12 confirmed cases of measles in Ventura and Oxnard--seven adults and five children, officials said. Blood tests are being run on 15 others in those two cities, Santa Paula, Camarillo and Agoura.

“Measles is one of the most contagious airborne viral diseases,” Feldman said, noting that the disease is easily spread through secretions from the nose and throat that can be transferred through the air or by touch.

“It may be caught by sitting in the same room as another patient, even 90 minutes after that patient has left the room,” he said. “For that reason it is dangerous in all congregate settings, like classrooms and waiting rooms.”

Feldman said notices will be sent home with students today with information for parents about what symptoms to look for and where they can go to get low-cost immunizations.

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“This epidemic, as the one in 1990, is a result of complacency,” he said. “We the parents, doctors and school officials who carry the responsibility for protecting our children are not succeeding in vaccinating enough of our children to provide herd immunity.”

Feldman said his office is considering setting up immunization clinics in schools across the county to help prevent the spread of the disease. But he stressed that children are not the only ones vulnerable.

“Unvaccinated adults with no history of having measles are also at risk, particularly if they work with or around children,” he said.

Measles usually starts with coughing, a high fever and a runny nose, symptoms which typically show up about 10 days after exposure. A blotchy red rash usually follows in three to seven days.

The disease can cause dehydration, diarrhea, pneumonia, inflammation of the brain and, in severe cases, it can be fatal, Feldman said. He told the supervisors of an 11-year-old child, a resident of the county, who is dying of the disease acquired elsewhere five years ago.

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“Measles is a very serious illness, often mistakenly dismissed as a routine childhood disease,” Feldman said.

Although the disease can be prevented by vaccination, he pointed out that a single dose is not sufficient.

“Two are required,” Feldman said. “In fact, nine of the cases we’re looking at had the first vaccination but not the second.”

All children should receive a vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella at 12 to 15 months and a second dose at the age of four to five, he said.

In 1989, the state experienced a measles epidemic, which peaked with 16,000 cases in 1990. During 1989 and 1990, Ventura County reported 25 cases of measles, said Lin Glusac, an immunization coordinator for the county Public Health Department.

There was one measles case reported in the county both in 1991 and 1992. Last year, there were two cases, Glusac said.

In addition to Ventura County, three new measles cases have been reported in Riverside and two in San Bernardino counties, Glusac said. New cases have also been reported in Colorado and Arizona.

Parents seeking information about low-cost immunization can call the public health office in Ventura at 652-5918, the Oxnard office at 385-8652 or the Simi Valley office at 584-4887.