Have You Been to Gilroy or Milpitas Lately? Health Officials Warn of Possible Measles Exposure

By Bay City News Service:

Santa Clara County Public Health Department officials Monday confirmed that a person infected with measles may have exposed others to the disease at two big-box stores in Gilroy on Jan. 18 and a restaurant in Milpitas Jan. 19.

Public health officials are working with the three businesses to alert people who visited there that they might have been exposed to the contagious disease, according to department spokeswoman Molly Carbajal.

Between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Jan. 18, a person with measles visited the Costco store at 7251 Camino Arroyo and the nearby Walmart at 7150 Camino Arroyo in Gilroy, Carbajal said.

[Previous: 59 Measles Cases Confirmed in State; At Least 28 Weren’t Vaccinated.]

On Jan. 19, the same person suffering from measles also went to the Dave & Busters eatery at 940 Great Mall Drive in Milpitas between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., but did not go into the adjacent Great Mall shopping center, Carbajal said.

The risk of catching measles from brief encounters with people who have it is low, but as a precaution, people should check if they have been vaccinated against it if they have never had the disease, she said.

People who have had measles are immune to it afterwards, but those who have not been infected before or never received a vaccination are at a higher risk after being exposed, Carbajal said.

Those in that higher risk category should monitor themselves for illnesses that include fever and an unexplained rash until Feb. 8, the period of time that measles may develop after exposure, she said.

The department advises people who acquire the symptoms to remain at home, call their health care provider immediately to inform them of the infection and have the provider report the case to the Public Health Department.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children be vaccinated for measles twice, once at age 12 to 15 months and then again at ages 4 to 6, Carbajal said.

The prevention of the spread of measles is especially important for infants under 12 months old who are too young to be vaccinated, public health officials said.