Recently Taken BART, San Anselmo, Fairfax? Riders May Have Been Exposed to Measles

By Bay City News Service:

A Contra Costa Country resident commuting to and from work in San Francisco last week may have exposed some BART riders to measles, health officials said Wednesday.

Officials with Contra Costa Health Services and the San Francisco Department of Public Health said risk of contracting measles by being exposed to the disease on BART is low, but riders should nonetheless be aware of the situation.

The person traveled between the Lafayette and Montgomery BART stations during the morning and evening commutes from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. between Feb. 4 and Friday.

The person also spent time at E&O Kitchen and Bar, a restaurant located at 314 Sutter St. in San Francisco, on Feb. 4 between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes and can stay in the air for up to two hours, health officials said. BART cars circulate throughout the Bay Area, so anyone who used the transit system during that time could have potentially been exposed to the virus, health officials said.

Health officials in Contra Costa and San Francisco counties are working together on tracing the person’s movements and notifying anyone who may have been in close contact with them.

The person’s employer is cooperating fully with the investigation, as is the management of E&O Kitchen and Bar, health officials said.

“Measles is circulating in the Bay Area and we don’t know yet where this person was exposed,” said Erika Jenssen, communicable disease program chief with the public health division of Contra Costa Health Services.

People who are vaccinated or have had measles are unlikely to catch the disease, health officials said. However, those who have not previously been vaccinated are at high risk if exposed.

Anyone with symptoms of measles is urged to contact their health care provider immediately.

Measles symptoms can begin one to three weeks after exposure and include high fever, runny nose, coughing and watery red eyes. A rash develops on the face and neck two to three days after the fever begins and spreads down the body. The rash usually lasts five or six days, health officials said. An infected person is contagious for several days before and after the rash appears.

This is the first confirmed case of measles in Contra Costa County since the statewide outbreak in December, county health officials said.

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