300 People in California Possibly Exposed to Measles

Individuals from 16 California counties were possibly affected, a Sacramento County spokesperson said.

UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Feb. 27, 2020. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Around 300 people at a hospital in northern California possibly were exposed to measles after a child went to the facility for treatment, local authorities said.

The child was evaluated at UC Davis Health’s emergency department between 12 p.m. PT and 5 p.m. PT, Sacramento County officials said in a release this past week. Media reports said that the child had recently returned from international travel.

The hospital stated that the situation is “under control” in a news release, saying it has contacted 300 people who might have been exposed.

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“There are no additional potential exposures at UC Davis Medical Center beyond those people who have been identified and contacted,” the release said. The hospital web page for the news release appears to have been deleted.

“UC Davis has a record of each patient and employee in the Emergency Department that day, and notifications about potential exposure are being sent through phone calls, the electronic medical record’s online messaging portal, letters, in person, and to the care teams of patients who were admitted from the Emergency Department during the time period,” the hospital said.

Individuals from 16 California counties were possibly exposed, a Sacramento County spokesperson told the Sacramento Bee newspaper. The official did not list the impacted counties.

The child also visited the San Joaquin Urgent Care before being sent to the UC Davis emergency room, authorities in El Dorado County said in a separate release.

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“We will be receiving a list of those who were confirmed at the UC Davis Emergency Department at that time and will be contacting those individuals for further instructions,” Dr. Matthew Minson, El Dorado County’s health officer, said in the release.

“Please do not go directly to the emergency department as that could increase spread and put others at risk,” he added.

Officials in both Sacramento and El Dorado counties advised people to get the measles vaccine or check their immunization records.

It comes as authorities in Chicago confirmed at least five cases of measles in the city in the past several days, including four at a center holding illegal immigrants.

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is sending a team to investigate, the agency confirmed.

Residents at the center holding the illegal immigrants who have received the measles vaccine can “enter and exit at their own discretion,” although those who haven’t received the shots as well as those who recently arrived will have to remain under quarantine for 21 days, Chicago’s Department of Health said.

As of this past week, the CDC has reported 45 measles cases across 17 states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.

Earlier this year, authorities in the District of Columbia and Virginia warned that a person with measles traveled through two area airports after coming into the United States via “international travel.”

Symptoms

Measles generally shows up in two stages. In the first, most people develop a fever higher than 101 degrees F, runny nose, watery red eyes, or cough. These generally start seven to 14 days after exposure.

The second stage begins about two to three days after initial symptoms. Some people develop what is known as Koplik spots—tiny white spots—inside the mouth, according to health officials.

Three to five days after the first symptoms begin, the telltale measles rash starts to appear on the patient’s face near the hairline area before it spreads to the rest of the body, spreading downward, the CDC previously said.