Measles outbreak at Broomfield, Colorado schools force some parents to keep children home

A measles outbreak tied to local schools has some parents in the Broomfield, Colorado community weighing difficult decisions about everyday activities, especially those with infants too young to be vaccinated.

Savannah Tagget, a stay-at-home mom in Broomfield, says she's become much more cautious with her four-month-old daughter, June.

"I don't want a baby who's hospitalized due to a preventable illness," Tagget said.

Under guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, babies younger than six months are generally too young to receive the measles vaccine, leaving some families with limited protection.

Because of that, Tagget says she's cut back on outings with her daughter. 

"We stopped going to all the library programs, which is really sad because she was really enjoying those," Tagget said. "The little bit of going out I am doing with her, I almost feel guilty saying yes, because I'm like, am I putting my child in danger?"

Health officials say the outbreak began last week at Broomfield High School and has since spread to Broomfield Middle School. Exposure has also occurred at several local businesses. So far, seven related measles cases have been confirmed.

Jason Vahling, Public Health Director for the Broomfield Public Health and Environment, says officials are working with other health officials to execute a prepared response plan.

"Thankfully, we have a public health playbook for this," Vahling said.

He noted that more than 95% of students in the Boulder Valley School District are vaccinated against measles.

"Given how contagious it is, we would expect more cases to come, but we're in a bit of a critical juncture," Vahling said. "There's typically a 21-day period from when somebody's been exposed to them developing symptoms. What we're trying to do is break that chain of transmission."

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says about 80 unvaccinated people are currently not allowed to return to Broomfield High or Middle School on an exclusion list. Those students must wait 21 days after any newly identified case before they can return to class.

Health officials say the risk to the general public remains low, especially for those who are vaccinated.

"The risk right now in the Broomfield community or in the greater Boulder County community is low, especially for individuals who are vaccinated," Vahling said. "However, we do know that measles is highly contagious, and there are certain groups that are not vaccinated or are not completely immune."

Those groups include infants like June. Tagget says her pediatrician may recommend an early measles shot once June reaches six months old, which is sometimes done when there is a higher risk of spread, like during an outbreak.

"I think I'll feel better once she can get the vaccine at six months," Tagget said. "But even then, I don't know if we'll resume going to community programs with other kids for a while."

Health officials are continuing to keep a close eye on the situation and encourage residents to check their vaccination status and watch for symptoms as the 21-day monitoring period continues.