The New Jersey Department of Health is warning travelers about a potential measles exposures after someone with a case of the illness traveled through Newark Liberty International Airport.
The infected person was a non-New Jersey resident who traveled through Newark's terminal B on Monday, May 12 between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., the health department said.
According to health officials, potentially infected people could develop symptoms as late as June 2.
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WATCH HEREAnyone who suspects they have been exposed or are ill, are advised to call their health care provider first prior to going to a doctor's office or emergency room so safety arrangements can be made. The people most at risk include anyone who has not been fully vaccinated or has not had measles in the past, health officials say.
What are the symptoms of measles?
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SIGN UP Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.
The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.
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Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.
How can you treat measles?
There’s no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.
What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine?
The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.
Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said.
People who have documentation that they had measles are immune, and those born before 1957 generally don’t need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have “presumptive immunity."
Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — due to “herd immunity.” But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.
