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Measles Warning Issued For Recent Visitors To BJ's Store In N.J.

WATCHUNG, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A public health alert has been issued for shoppers who visited a BJ's Wholesale Club in New Jersey earlier this month.

A person with measles visited the Watchung location between 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. on June 3 and may have exposed customers to the highly contagious illness, the New Jersey Department of Health said.

Customers are urged to call a health provider to discuss potential exposure and risk of developing the illness.

Measles exposure reported at a BJ's in NJ

Measles is easily spread through the air when an infected person talks, coughs or sneezes, health officials said. People can also get sick when they come in contact with mucus or saliva from an infected person.

Symptoms include rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes.

Measles can also cause pneumonia, brain swelling and miscarriage, WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported.

Customers who were exposed to the illness could have developed symptoms as early as June 8 and as late as June 24, health officials said.

"We urge everyone to check to make sure they and their family members are up-to-date on measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine and all other age-appropriate immunizations," stated state epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan. "Getting vaccinated not only protects you, it protects others around you who are too young to get the vaccine or can't receive it for medical reasons."

Tan said two doses of the vaccine is more than 99 percent effective in preventing measles.

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