California is dealing with a measles outbreak right now and the virus has found its way to Contra Costa County as a resident is diagnosed with the disease. The patient took the Bay Area Rapid Transit train between Lafayette and San Francisco during the rush hours of Feb. 4 to 6 so commuters taking the line were warned of the possibility of exposure to measles.
The California Department of Public Health is not sure how many Bay Area residents have been vaccinated against the disease but believes that majority have been inoculated despite the growing number of parents refusing to vaccinate their children.
Health officials, however, warned those who took BART trains during the specified period and have not been vaccinated against the disease that they have a high risk of contracting measles. Those who start displaying symptoms like high fever, watery eyes, runny noses and coughing are urged to visit their doctors immediately. Infections can start manifesting between one and three weeks after being exposed.
Aside from BART commuters, those who ate at the E & O Kitchen and Bar on Sutter Street in San Francisco between 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Feb. 4 may have also been exposed. The patient works for LinkedIn in San Francisco and dined in the establishment during that time.
LinkedIn is working with the San Francisco Health Department to make sure employees who may have been potentially exposed as well are kept safe.
"The ongoing measles outbreak in California highlights the need for people to be vaccinated, and this is just another example of how interconnected our region is and how important it is for everyone to be up to date on their immunizations," said Erika Jenssen, communicable disease program chief for Contra Costa Health Services.
Measles has been circulating in the Bay Area and health officials are still not sure as to how the Contra Costa resident contracted the disease.
The current measles outbreak sweeping across the United States has now affected more than 100 people in California and several other states, with many of the cases traced back to the outbreak that began in Disneyland in December 2014. Measles is actually highly preventable but the anti-vaccination movement has clearly impacted efforts.
The disease was officially eradicated in the country in 2000. Current measles cases then are from infections contracted overseas and brought into the U.S. This is what officials believe to have happened in Disneyland.
