An Outbreak Of Measles At An International Sporting Event With Airborne Transmission In A Domed Stadium

An outbreak of measles occurred in conjunction with the International Special Olympics Games in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area during July 1991. Sixteen outbreak-associated cases of measles were reported among US residents from seven states, with 9 additional cases resulting from subsequ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 1995-03, Vol.171 (3), p.679-683
Main Authors: Ehresmann, Kristen R., Hedberg, Craig W., Grimm, Mary Beth, Norton, Cheryl A., Macdonald, Kristine L., Osterholm, Michael T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Air Microbiology
Biological and medical sciences
Ceremonies
Concise Communications
Disease Outbreaks
Disease transmission
Epidemiology
Exanthema
Female
First aid
Human viral diseases
Humans
Immunization
Infectious diseases
Male
Measles
Measles - epidemiology
Measles - transmission
measles virus
Medical Records
Medical sciences
Minnesota - epidemiology
Sporting events
Sports
Viral diseases
Viral diseases of the respiratory system and ent viral diseases
Volunteerism
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Summary:An outbreak of measles occurred in conjunction with the International Special Olympics Games in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area during July 1991. Sixteen outbreak-associated cases of measles were reported among US residents from seven states, with 9 additional cases resulting from subsequent transmission. The primary case was a track and field athlete from Argentina. Transmission occurred in three settings: the opening ceremonies in a domed stadium, track and field events, and first aid stations. Eight secondary cases had their only potential exposure at the opening ceremonies; 2 of these cases were unrelated spectators sitting in the same section of the upper deck > 30.5 m above the athlete's entrance. These findings demonstrate that the risk of indigenous measles transmission associated with international events in the United States must be considered, even in areas without recent measles activity. Moreover, the dynamic airborne transmission of measles illustrates the potential for transmission in the absence of a recognized exposure.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/171.3.679