The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) is looking to identify others who are at risk for measles and may have been exposed to a non-resident measles case that traveled to Los Angeles County while infectious. Public Health urges residents, especially those who travel internationally and those who have not been fully protected against measles, to get the measles immunization in order to better protect their individual health and to prevent the spread of measles to others.
Other people may have been exposed to measles since public locations were visited by the person with measles while infectious. The potential public exposure locations, days and times were as follows:
August 11, 2019 - Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Terminal 8, between 9 – 11:30 p.m.
August 14, 2019 - Universal Studios, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City.
August 15, 2019 - TCL Chinese Theatres, 6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028 (formerly known as Grauman’s Chinese Theatre)
August 15, 2019 - Madame Tussauds, 6933 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028
August 15, 2019 The Original Farmers Market, 6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036
August 15, 2019 - Santa Monica Pier and Beach, 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401
August 15, 2019 - Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Tom Bradley International Terminal, between 6 – 11:59 p.m.
There is no known current risk related to measles that exists at these venues at this time. There are additional exposure sites in Orange County which can be found at: http://www.ochealthinfo.com/measles.
Anyone who may have been at these locations on these dates may be at risk of developing measles for up to 21 days after being exposed and should:
Review their immunization and medical records to determine if they are protected against measles. People who have not had measles infection previously or received the measles immunization may not be immune and should talk with a health care provider about receiving measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunization.
Contact and notify their health care provider as soon as possible about a potential exposure if they are pregnant, an infant, have a weakened immune system and/or are unimmunized.
Monitor themselves for illness with fever and/or an unexplained rash from 7 days to 21 days after their exposure (the time period when symptoms may develop); if symptoms develop, stay at home and call a healthcare provider immediately.
Currently, there have been 16 measles cases among Los Angeles County residents in 2019, in addition to 11 non-resident measles cases that traveled through Los Angeles County (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena as cases identified in those cities are reported by their local health departments). The majority of cases to date were unimmunized or did not know whether they had ever been immunized.
“For those who are not protected, measles is a highly contagious and potentially severe disease that initially causes fever, cough, red, watery eyes, and, finally, a rash,” said Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County Health Officer. “Measles is spread by air and by direct contact even before you know have it. The MMR immunization is a very effective measure to protect yourself and to prevent the unintentional spread of this potentially serious infection to others.”
Measles immunizations are available at healthcare providers, local pharmacy or health clinic. Public Health clinics offer no or low-cost immunizations for individuals who are uninsured or underinsured. To find a nearby Public Health clinic, call 2-1-1 or visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/measles or call 2-1-1.
Submitted by the Los Angeles County Public Health Department
