A person infected with measles who recently visited Disneyland in California may have exposed others to the disease, Los Angeles health officials announced on Tuesday.
The patient, who was not identified, first visited a Starbucks on Sepulveda Boulevard on Oct. 16 between 7:50 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. He or she then went to the Anaheim-based theme park between 9:15 a.m. and 8:35 p.m. the same day.
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“Other people may have been exposed to measles since public locations were visited by the person with measles while infectious,” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a news release.
Those who are concerned they may have been exposed should review their immunization records to ensure they have received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Those who have not received the vaccine should contact their health care provider, health officials said.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air after an infected person coughs or sneezes. Others can contract measles when they breathe the contaminated air or touch a contaminated surface, and then touch their eyes, nose or mouth.
“Infected people can spread measles to others from four days before through four days after the rash appears,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.
The MMR vaccine can protect both individuals and other people from contracting the virus.
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Young children are typically most at risk of contracting measles. The CDC recommends children get two doses of the MMR vaccination, but the first dose is typically given to children when they are between 12 and 15 months old, with the second occurring between ages 4 and 6.
This isn’t the first time a person infected with measles has visited the theme park while contagious. In August, a New Zealand visitor was said to be the source of possible exposure.
