Bay Area resident confirmed to have measles: public health

(KRON) — The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department is warning of a public measles exposure in San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Santa Clara County.

Santa Clara Public Health said the person visited public places while contagious with measles, traveling through SFO and other several San Jose locations on June 8.

“The person with measles is an adult believed to be exposed to measles during international travel. Further information about the individual will not be released for reasons of medical privacy,” according to Santa Clara Public Health.

The department urges that people who visited the sites below at the dates and times may be at risk of developing measles seven to 10 days after they were exposed to the individual. They add that “any unvaccinated individual traveling or joining large gatherings should be aware of their increased risk of measles if exposed.”

Public Health strongly advises people who visited the above sites to do the following:

Review your immunization records to learn if you are protected against measles. Visit MyVaccineRecord.cdph.ca.gov or contact your healthcare provider.

Call your healthcare provider immediately if you are pregnant, an infant, have a weakened immune system, or are unimmunized.

Monitor for symptoms for seven to 21 days after the day of potential exposure.

If you develop symptoms of measles, it is very important to call ahead to any medical facility before going there and to tell them that you may have been exposed to measles. This allows the facility to take measures to protect other patients and visitors.

Do not attend large gatherings. Measles is one of the most infectious diseases in the world and spreads very rapidly. Given the number of large international events currently happening throughout the Bay Area, it is especially important that any unvaccinated, exposed individual quarantines to the best of their ability and avoids contact with others if feeling unwell.

Common symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a rash, which can appear seven to 21 days after the exposure. Some people may develop more serious complications. If you develop these symptoms, call your doctor right away.

“Exposures like this one remind us of the importance of vaccination. Fortunately, the Bay Area region has strong community immunity, because of our very high rates of vaccination or from childhood exposure decades ago,” said Dr. Sarah Rudman, Health Officer and Public Health Director for the County of Santa Clara. “Two shots of MMR or MMRV vaccine continue to be the best protection against measles and can stop a measles outbreak in its tracks, which is especially important during times of gathering and travel.”