Those at Virtua Marlton Hospital on June 27 between 6:40 a.m. and 6 p.m. should contact a health provider to discuss potential exposure.
The New Jersey Department of Health is warning residents about an individual suspected of having measles who might have exposed others while in Burlington and Camden counties. This person developed symptoms after being exposed to an individual who acquired measles while traveling internationally.
The Department recommends that anyone who visited the locations listed below during the specified dates/times should contact a health provider to discuss potential exposure and risk of developing the illness.
Locations include:
· Anjali Power Yoga, 130 Haddon Ave. in Westmont, on June 26 between 5:45 p.m. and 9:10 p.m.
· Virtua Marlton Hospital, 90 Brick Road in Marlton on June 27 between 6:40 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Officials ask residents to not go to an emergency department if they do not have symptoms. If they develop symptoms of measles, the department recommends they you call a health care provider before going to a medical office, urgent care facility or emergency department.
Special arrangements can be made for evaluation while also protecting other patients and medical staff from possible infection. For those who have been exposed, they are at risk if they have not been vaccinated or have not had measles. Potentially exposed individuals, if infected, could develop symptoms as late as July 18.
“It is critical that New Jersey residents and visitors are up to date on their vaccinations to avoid the possibility of becoming ill with measles,” New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal said. “As we can see, exposure to someone with measles may result in transmission, so getting vaccinated is the best defense.”
Measles symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes and a rash that usually appears between three and five days after symptoms begin. The rash usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, torso, arms, legs and feet. It can cause serious complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). Measles infection in a pregnant woman can lead to miscarriage, premature birth or a low-birth-weight baby. Measles is easily spread through the air when someone coughs or sneezes. People can also get sick when they come in contact with mucus or saliva from an infected person.
The Department is working with local health officials and Virtua to identify and notify people who might have been exposed during the time the individual was infectious.
For more information about measles, contact a health care provider, or visit the New Jersey Department of Health’s measles webpage, which includes Frequently Asked Questions. The CDC has additional information.
