By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

Los Angeles County health officials reported an additional confirmed case of measles in a resident who recently traveled and became ill with measles shortly after returning to Los Angeles County.

Image/MDH

Other people may have been exposed to measles since public locations were visited by the person with measles while infectious. The potential public exposure locations, days and times were as follows:

Date, Time, and Location

  • September 20, 2019, 11:00 p.m. to September 21, 2019, 1:30 a.m. – Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Terminal 5
  • September 20, 2019, 11:20 p.m. to September 21, 2019, 1:50 a.m. – Parking Spot, Century Airport Shuttle from LAX, Terminal 5, to 5701 W Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045

Anyone who may have been at these locations on these dates during these timeframes may be at risk of developing measles for up to 21 days after being exposed and should:

  • Review their immunization and medical records to determine if they are protected against measles. People who have not had measles infection previously or received the measles immunization may not be immune and should talk with a health care provider about receiving measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunization.
  • Contact and notify their health care provider as soon as possible about a potential exposure if they are pregnant, an infant, have a weakened immune system and/or are unimmunized.
  • Monitor themselves for illness with fever and/or an unexplained rash from 7 days to 21 days after their exposure (the time period when symptoms may develop); if symptoms develop, stay at home and call a healthcare provider immediately.

Currently, there have been 17 measles cases among Los Angeles County residents in 2019, in addition to 11 non- resident measles cases that traveled through Los Angeles County (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena as cases identified in those cities are reported by their local health departments). The majority of cases to date were unimmunized or did not know whether they had ever been immunized.

“For those who are not protected, measles is a highly contagious and potentially severe disease that initially causes fever, cough, red, watery eyes, and, finally, a rash,” said Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County Health Officer. “Measles is spread by air and by direct contact even before you know have it. The MMR immunization is a very effective measure to protect yourself and to prevent the unintentional spread of this potentially serious infection to others.”

Nationally, from January 1 to September 19, 2019, 1,241 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 31 states.