Measles exposure warning issued after visitor stops at NJ hotels, pharmacy and ER

⚠️ A second confirmed measles case has prompted New Jersey health officials to warn of possible exposures in Morris County.

➡️ The infected visitor attended a Whippany convention and visited a hotel, pharmacy and emergency room while infectious.

🔴 Anyone who may have been exposed could develop symptoms as late as Dec. 4.

TRENTON – New Jersey has been alerted to exposure to a second confirmed measles case, as a non-resident with the virus recently stayed in Morris County while infectious, state health officials said Friday.

The infected patient attended two days of a weekend convention at a Whippany hotel, stayed at a separate hotel and also visited a Walgreens pharmacy and then the closest emergency room while symptomatic.

All four known locations and time spans of NJ measles exposure are as follows:

Hanover Marriott Whippany Route 10 (Google Maps)

LegionsCon, held in Whippany at the Hanover Marriott along Route 10

▪️ Saturday, Nov. 6: 8:50 a.m.—11 a.m.
▪️ Sunday, Nov. 7: 10 a.m.—6:30 p.m.

Sonesta Simply Suites hotel at 100 Candlewood Drive in Morris Plains

▪️ Between Saturday, Nov. 6 at 9 p.m.— Sunday, Nov. 7 at noon
▪️ Between Sunday, Nov. 7, at 5:45 p.m. through early Wednesday, Nov. 11, just before 1 a.m.

Walgreens Store #10438 - Walgreens Pharmacy, 203 South Street in Morristown

▪️ Sunday, Nov. 7: From 4:40 p.m.—7:40 p.m.

Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center – Emergency Department at 100 Madison Avenue in Morristown

▪️ Between Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 10:50 p.m through Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1:30 a.m.

(Courtesy Atlantic Health Medical Center Morristown)

Anyone who suspects an exposure or illness should call their local health department or a health care provider, before going to any medical office or emergency department.

If infected, exposed individuals may develop symptoms as late as Dec. 4.

Handout, Getty Images

Measles symptoms and possible complications

Measles symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a rash that usually appears between three and five days after other symptoms begin.

The rash typically presents as flat red spots, often on the face at the hairline, spreading downward to the neck, torso, arms, legs, and feet.

State and local health officials on ongoing contact tracing and on efforts to notify people who might have been exposed and to identify additional exposures that may have occurred.

Measles can cause serious complications, including as pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and can lead to miscarriage in pregnant women, as well as premature birth or a low-birth-weight baby.

Read More: NJ reports first measles case, 2 exposure spots

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New Jersey's measles cases and national numbers

Back in April, New Jersey saw its first measles case of the year. State health officials confirmed that a Hudson County resident had traveled out of the country, before returning through Newark Liberty International Airport.

The measles virus is very easily airborne — it can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. People can also get sick after contact with a patient’s mucus or saliva.

Because measles is such a highly contagious virus, which can cause serious complications, state health officials have repeatedly encouraged all residents to follow routine vaccinations, including MMR shots.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing infection and outbreaks, medical evidence has proven.

New Jersey is not currently experiencing a measles outbreak, defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as three or more related cases.

Nationally, measles cases continue to soar, including in neighboring Pennsylvania, where 1,529 cases have been confirmed this year.

As of Nov. 12, the CDC reported there were 5,412 confirmed measles cases reported across 46 states, plus Washington D.C., of which 18 cases were among international visitors to the U.S.

There have been six deaths among known measles patients this year and 11% of those known cases have involved the patient being hospitalized.

Of those known cases, 96% were among patients unvaccinated for MMR or whose status was unknown, according to the CDC.

Read More: New Jersey childhood vaccine rules stay put despite Trump order

Joe Raedle, Getty Images

New Jersey's childhood vaccine requirements remain unchanged, despite another federal move to rollback several globally recommended immunizations.

Months after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention amended its vaccine recommendations, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 10, covering much of the same ground.

Since last winter, public health experts have warned that a rollback from 17 to 11 widely recommended vaccines could lead to preventable hospitalizations and deaths.