Tourists With Measles Visited Hudson Valley Locations: DOH

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The state Department of Health is warning residents of the Hudson Valley that two people confirmed to be infected with measles has visited three Jehovah’s Witnesses facilities in the region.

The tourists were from Europe and were at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on New Jersey Avenue in Brooklyn between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 15, the Watchtower World Headquarters on Kings Drive in Tuxedo Park, Orange County, between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 16, and the Watchtower Educational Center on Watchtower Drive in Patterson, Putnam County, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, the Times Herald-Record reported.

Those who think they might have been exposed should see a doctor as soon as possible, medical officials said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, measles is a highly contagious virus that lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person and can spread to others through coughing and sneezing.

The reported times are important to know because the measles virus can live for up to two hours in an airspace and on surfaces where the infected person coughed or sneezed, the CDC said.

The CDC recommends that people get the MMR vaccine which will protect against measles, mumps and rubella.

Children should get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 to 15 months of age and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age.

Teens and adults also should be up to date on their MMR vaccination.

The CDC considers a person protected against measles if that person has written documentation showing at least one of the following:

• You received two doses of measles-containing vaccine, and you are
• a school-aged child (grades K-12)
• an adult who will be in a setting that poses a high risk for measles transmission, including students at post-high school education institutions, healthcare personnel and international travelers.
• You received one dose of measles-containing vaccine, and you are
• a preschool-aged child
• an adult who will not be in a high-risk setting for measles transmission.
• A laboratory confirmed that you had measles at some point in your life.
• A laboratory confirmed that you are immune to measles.
• You were born before 1957.

While measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 thanks to the highly effective vaccination program, measles is still common in many parts of the world, the CDC said, and every year, measles is brought into the country by unvaccinated travelers.

In February, an Australian tourist confirmed to have measles potentially exposed many others while in Putnam and Orange counties, as well as Manhattan and Brooklyn, state health officials said.

Officials said he visited the Watchtower Educational Center in Putnam, along with an Orange County hotel and an urgent care center in Orange County.

For more information on measles, go to the CDC’s website.

Read the Times Herald-Record here.

Photo caption: Face of boy with measles; third day of rash. Photo credit: CDC.gov.