KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — An unvaccinated child in Kootenai County has tested positive for measles, marking the first case in northern Idaho’s Panhandle since 1991 and the first in the state since 2023, the Panhandle Health District (PHD) announced Tuesday.

PHD is working to determine how the child contracted the virus and is notifying locations the child visited while infectious to alert potential contacts.

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Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes, according to officials. The virus can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves. Symptoms, which typically appear seven to 14 days after exposure, incl

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