An out-of-state person with measles visited a hospital in New Jersey last week, health officials said.
On Friday, Feb. 6, the person visited the pediatric emergency department at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, the state Department of Health said in a statement on Tuesday. Anyone who visited the facility on Friday between 11:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. may have been exposed to the virus, the health department said.
Officials urge anyone who believes they are infected to call the state health department or a health care provider before showing up to a medical office or emergency room.
Symptoms of the virus include high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a rash that usually appears between three and five days after symptoms begin. If someone was exposed, symptoms could appear as late as Feb. 28, the health department said.
Individuals at risk include those who have not been fully vaccinated or have not had measles in the past.
Measles is a highly contagious virus easily spread by an infected person talking, coughing or sneezing.
In serious cases, infected people may develop pneumonia and encephalitis. Pregnant women may miscarry or deliver a low birth-weight baby, the health department said.
People with measles are contagious starting four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash is visible.
The virus spreads easily through the air when someone coughs or sneezes and can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area, officials warned. People can also get sick when they come in contact with mucus or saliva from an infected person.
