The Hawaii Department of Health today announced that a wastewater sample from Kauai tested positive for the measles virus..
Officials said the sample was collected on Sept. 24 from a site in East Kauai County, and that DOH was notified of the result on Oct. 20.
To date, however, no suspected measles cases have yet been identified on Kauai.
Wastewater sampling is routinely conducted from sites across Hawaii as part of infectious disease surveillance, according to DOH. While the presence of the measles virus in wastewater does not confirm a clinical case or community spread, it serves as a signal to be alert and prepared for possible measles cases.
DOH in August also reported the detection of the measles virus in a wastewater sample collected from West Hawaii County, but did not confirm a human case there.
Wastewater monitoring serves as an early-warning system for virus detections, as infected people shed viral genomic material in their waste, regardless of whether they report an illness or exhibit symptoms or not.
The University of Missouri genetically sequenced the wastewater sample from Kauai — and identified a genotype D8 sequence of the measles virus, according to DOH, which is a “wild type,” meaning a naturally circulating one, different from the vaccine strain, which is a genotype A sequence.
Municipal wastewater samples from Hawaii are sent to MU each week for sequencing as part of a research program on pathogen surveillance.
DOH said the State Laboratories Division will continue to monitor and test wastewater samples to support early detection and public health preparedness.
Meanwhile, DOH is urging Hawaii residents to stay up-to-date on the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, as measles is a highly contagious disease. Anyone who traveled to an area with a current measles outbreak and develops symptoms should speak with their doctor.
Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by tiny, red spots that begin at the head and spread downward. Measles can lead to serious complications, especially in children under age 5, including pneumonia and encephalitis, or swelling of the brain.
Though a major measles outbreak in Texas over the summer has subsided, new cases are still being reported across the U.S. — from California to South Carolina. The total number confirmed in the U.S. this year has surpassed 1,600.
Hawaii has so far only confirmed two travel-related measles cases on Oahu this year. Both were confirmed in April before the wastewater detections, and no further cases have since been reported.
Source: The Garden Island
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