Home Contra Costa County BART Riders May Have Been Exposed to Measles, San Mateo County Reports 4th Case

BART Riders May Have Been Exposed to Measles, San Mateo County Reports 4th Case

by ECT

The following information is from San Mateo County Health System warning about a possible exposure of measles on BART Trains.

What YOU Can Do to Stay Measles-Free

All the recent news about measles is a good reminder to make sure you and your loved ones are up to date on all your vaccinations.

As of February 26, 2015, San Mateo County has four confirmed cases of measles –a highly contagious virus that spreads easily through the air when someone coughs or sneezes.

People in San Mateo County and neighboring counties may have been exposed to measles while the latest San Mateo County resident to be diagnosed with measles was infectious.

Some BART riders may have been exposed to measles when the San Mateo County resident commuted on February 20th from the Millbrae station (boarding at 4:30 pm) to Civic Center in San Francisco (exiting around 5:00 pm) while infectious. While the risk of contracting measles by being exposed on BART is low, Bay Area residents should be aware and watch for symptoms if they are not vaccinated.

What can you to do help prevent the spread of measles?

The best way for you to protect yourself, your family and the entire community from measles is to get vaccinated against it.

The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is a tested, safe and is very effective. The first dose of the vaccine is recommended for infants over 1 year old. The second dose is usually given when kids are 4 or 5 years old, before they enter kindergarten.

To get vaccinated, contact your doctor or check out one of our free or low-cost vaccine clinics all over San Mateo County—many don’t require an appointment.

People born before 1957 do not need to be vaccinated against measles because they are very likely to have already had measles, which means they have immunity to the disease. If you aren’t sure, you can get tested to see if you have immunity, so talk to your healthcare provider.

While the risk of developing measles after being around someone with measles for just a short amount of time is low, it’s still a good idea to make sure you know if you’ve been vaccinated, and if not, to talk with your doctor about getting vaccinated.

It’s important to get vaccinated no matter what, but traveling to other countries can put you at extra risk for measles. Make sure you and your family are up-to-date on your measles vaccinations before you go.

What are the symptoms of measles?

Measles symptoms begin with a fever that lasts for a couple of days, followed by a cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes, and a rash. The rash usually appears first on the face, along the hairline, and behind the ears and then spreads to the rest of the body.

Once infected, people are usually contagious for 4 days before and 4 days after their rash first appears.

Complications from measles can include diarrhea, ear infections, pneumonia and even death. And infants, pregnant women and people with weaker immune systems are more at risk to get these complications.

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