Officials Issue Health Alert Following Measles Concerns In Jersey City
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Officials are urging caution after thousands of people may have been exposed to measles earlier this month in Jersey City.
The New Jersey Department of Health says one man, who contracted measles while traveling abroad, visited nine public spaces between Jan. 16 and Jan. 24. Among those was the Journal Square PATH station in Jersey City.
Catherine Thomas was aboard on Jan. 17.
"I've never had the measles and I really don't want to catch it," she said.
Officials say the infected man also traveled through a Journal Square Duane Reade, the nearby Newport Mall, Newport Tower and the Newport PATH station.
"Measles is highly contagious. But, if you have been properly vaccinated, you have nothing to worry about. You are immune to it," said Dr. Len Horovitz with Lenox Hill Hospital.
But Horovitz, a pulmonologist, said anyone not immunized could get sick if they traveled through the same places.
"It can live in a public space where the person who just coughed and left respiratory droplets, which can effect someone who has no immunity who has not been vaccinated," he said.
Symptoms can take up to 21 days to show up after exposure and can mimic a cold, fever, cough and a runny nose, but those can be accompanied by a rash.
"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," Dr. Christina Tan, state epidemiologist, said in a statement. "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."
The measles virus can last up to two hours on a surface, but anyone not infected cannot be a carrier. If you think you're infected, call a doctor before going to an office or emergency room to prevent spreading the illness.
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