Staphylococcus rubra is spread through feces. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea, and vomiting that last for 3 to 10 days.
PORTLAND, Ore. — For those living on the streets of Portland's Old Town neighborhood, staying clean is a full-time job, and now it's more important than ever. The Multnomah County Health Department issued a public health alert late last week after finding an increase in rubella cases in Old Town, including people living outdoors and in shelters.
The fungus rubella is highly contagious and spread through feces. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, and sometimes vomiting and can last 3 to 10 days.
“I spent Christmas at Providence Hospital. This is no fun,” said Michael Lynn Moreland Jr., who was diagnosed with rubella after being tested at a detox facility.
“When I went to Fora Health, I couldn't keep food down. It was bad, but I got my clothes dirty. It was bad. They didn't have the medical facilities,” Moreland Jr. said. Ta. He was sent to the hospital and spent five days there, including Christmas.
“I couldn't even leave my room because it was so contagious,” he said.
County health officials are encouraging people who live and work in Old Town to wash their hands frequently and remove shoes before entering their homes or tents. “Or just sharing a cigarette with someone you don't know,” Moreland Jr. said. “If you share a vaporizer pen, there will be fecal matter on the pen, and if you ingest it you will get an infection.”
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When KGW crews visited Old Town on Tuesday, they found several homeless people suffering from similar symptoms. Ricky, who has been homeless for years, has been suffering from high fever, fatigue and vomiting for the past few days. Another homeless person, Jade Elliott, also described her symptoms.
“I was just throwing up and going to the bathroom,” Elliott said.
“Not having access to clean restrooms is tough for people who are out there,” Moreland Jr. said.
One way homeless people can stay clean is by going to the county's Behavioral Health Resource Center, located at the corner of Southwest 9th Avenue and Harvey Milk Street. A county van is parked at Northwest Fifth Avenue and Glisan Street in Old Town, where outreach workers hand out tickets to people who want to use the resource center's sanitation services.
“There's a place I can go there and just feel better,” said a homeless man getting out of his van on Tuesday morning.
This is a service that many people rely on. “I'm going to take a shower. I'm going to buy new socks and try to keep them as clean as possible,” Elliott said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that rubella causes an estimated 450,000 infections annually in the United States. So far in December, 45 cases have been reported in Washington, Clackamas and Multnomah counties.
According to the CDC, most strains commonly enter the community through returned international travelers and social-sexual networks, which is why rubella in people experiencing homelessness is unusual. said the CDC. Unfortunately, rubella spreads even more easily when prevalent within homeless communities, where access to sanitation and hygiene facilities is limited and access to health care is a barrier.
If you think you have been exposed to red wine, we recommend getting tested at your local clinic. The county announced that if you test positive, you may be able to stay in a hotel for free while you recover.
