Washington, DC - DC Health has been notified of a confirmed case of measles in an individual who visited several locations in DC while contagious. DC Health is informing individuals who were at these locations that they may have been exposed.
Listed below are the dates, times, and locations of potential exposure sites associated
with this measles case:- Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 175 Southbound:
- March 19, 7:30 pm - 1:30 am
- Amtrak Reception Area, Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002:
- March 19, 11:00 pm - 1:30 am
- MedStar Urgent Care Adams Morgan, 1805 Columbia Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20009:
- March 22, 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can spread easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Measles symptoms typically appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people have a fever of over 101 degrees, a runny nose, red and watery eyes, and a cough. These symptoms usually begin 7 to 14 days after exposure. The second stage begins 3 to 5 days after symptoms begin, when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. People with measles are contagious from 4 days before the rash appears until 4 days
after it appears.
What should you do if you were at one of the above locations on the specified day and time?
- Individuals who may have been exposed and are not immune should contact their healthcare provider or DC Health at (844) 493-2652 for more information or guidance.
- If you have never received a measles-containing vaccine (either the measles, mumps, and rubella [MMR] vaccine or a measles-only vaccine that is available in other countries), you may be at risk for developing measles. Anyone who has been exposed and is at risk for measles should watch for symptoms for up to 21 days after the date of their last exposure. If you notice measles symptoms, immediately isolate yourself by staying home and away from others. Contact your healthcare provider immediately. Call ahead before going to your healthcare provider’s office or emergency room to notify them that you may have been exposed to measles and ask them to call the Department of Health to help protect other patients and staff . If you have received two doses of a measles vaccine or were born before 1957, you are protected and do not need to take any additional prevention measures.
- If you've received only one dose of measles vaccine, you're likely protected, and your risk of becoming infected through any of these exposures is very low. However, to achieve full immunity, contact your healthcare provider about receiving a second dose of the vaccine.
- If your immune system is compromised (e.g., cancer, HIV/AIDS), consult your healthcare provider if you have questions or experience symptoms.
Measles can be prevented through a safe and effective MMR vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine are given to provide lifelong protection. However, infants under 12 months of age are too young to be vaccinated. These infants, and others who are not vaccinated, are highly susceptible to infection if exposed to someone with measles. If you or your child have not yet been vaccinated, call DC Health or a healthcare provider to receive the first of the two doses as soon as possible. To verify your vaccination status, call your healthcare provider or contact DC Health.
Healthcare providers should maintain a heightened index of suspicion for measles in clinically compatible cases at all times, especially if patients were recently exposed. Measles is a disease that requires urgent attention and reporting. Contact DC Health immediately to report any suspected cases and schedule public health testing. Suspected cases can be reported by healthcare providers by phone at (844) 493-2652 or by submitting a Notifiable Disease and Condition Case Report Form online using the
District of Columbia Surveillance and Reporting Center (DCRC), which can be found on our Infectious Disease website at dchealth.dc.gov/node/143092 .
For additional information on testing and infection control measures available exclusively to healthcare providers, visit https://dchealth.dc.gov/page/measles-information-healthcare-providers.
If you have any questions about possible measles exposures, please contact DC Health at (844) 493-2652 or email [email protected]
No comments:
Post a Comment