Public health officials said a person with measles visited several businesses in Santa Monica, Culver City and Baldwin Hills last week and earlier this week.
The infected person visited a commercial building at 3756 Santa Rosalia Dr. in Baldwin Hills last Friday between 5:45 and 9:15 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Last Saturday, they went to Culver City Arclight Cinemas between 5 and 9:30 p.m. and AR Cucina Restaurant in Culver City between 7:30 and 11 p.m.
On Monday, they visited a commercial building at 3201 Wilshire Blvd. between 11:35 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. and Erewhon Market in Santa Monica between 3 and 5:30 p.m.
Officials said anyone who may have been at these locations at these dates and times is at risk of developing measles for up to 21 days after being exposed. Symptoms to watch out for include fever and/or an unexplained rash.
People who may have been exposed should also monitor themselves for illness with fever and/or an unexplained rash from one to three weeks after their exposure. If symptoms develop, they should stay at home and call a health care provider immediately.
“It’s one of the most contagious viruses in the world and it is hidden, in a way, because you can infect a lot of people before you get sick yourself,” said Dr. Wally Ghurabi, director of the emergency room at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica. “It can be up to a month before symptoms start to show.”
Ghurabi said the elderly, children and infants are most vulnerable to measles and can develop complications such as pneumonia or encephalitis.
There have been 18 measles cases among Los Angeles County residents so far this year, in addition to 11 non-residents with measles that traveled through the county, officials said.
Most people who have been infected were unimmunized or did not know if they were immunized.
Officials have issued warnings regarding several other measles cases in or around Santa Monica in the last several months.
An individual with measles visited Groundwork Coffee in Venice, Frontrunners Shoe Store and CVS in Brentwood and American Beauty in Venice on July 14.
On July 15, they went to Comerica Bank in Brentwood, Groundwork Coffee in the Arts District and California Chicken Cafe in Santa Monica. They went to Equinox Gym in Santa Monica the following day.
People with measles visited Toscana Restaurant in Brentwood June 8, Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Santa Monica Mar. 6, and the Santa Monica Pier and Blue Plate Taco Dec. 26.
Last August, an international traveler infected with measles visited several restaurants and hotels in Santa Monica, including Urth Caffe, Chez Jay and Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.
The Daily Press reported in July that local efforts to boost the historically low vaccination rates of many Santa Monica schools had steadily increased the proportion of students with all recommended immunizations between 2015 and 2018.
But in the 2018-2019 school year, vaccination rates at several schools began to erode. Three public and three private schools were not able to maintain the proportion of vaccinated students that they achieved the previous year.
Only six out of 14 Santa Monica kindergartens reported vaccination rates above 95% last school year, which is the threshold public health officials consider safe.
Public schools with vaccination rates below 95% include John Muir, Will Rogers, McKinley, Roosevelt and Canyon Charter elementary schools.
The private schools St. Anne, PS1 and Garden of Angels also have unsafe vaccination rates.
In neighboring Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Venice, kindergarten vaccination rates were much lower. Most schools reported rates between 75% and 90%.
madeleine@smdp.com
