________________________
________________________
STAFF REPORT
A teenager infected with the measles traveled internationally from New Zealand to places in Southern California, including Disneyland in August, the O.C. Health Care Agency reported Friday.
The teenager visited locations in Orange and Los Angeles counties from August 11-15. The public may have been exposed to the measles at the Desert Palms Hotel, located at 631 W. Katella Ave. in Anaheim, on those days, and also at Disneyland and California Adventure Park in Anaheim on Aug. 12, health officials said in a news release.
Anyone who may have visited those locations on the specified dates may be at risk of developing measles, officials said, and should monitor themselves for illness, fever or an unexplained rash from 7 to 21 days after exposure. If any symptoms develop, the person should stay home, call their doctor immediately and review immunization records. If an infant was exposed, or if you are pregnant or have a weakened immune system, you should also contact a health care provider as soon as possible.
“Measles is a highly contagious and potentially severe disease that causes fever, rash, cough, and red, watery eyes,” health officer Nichole Quick said in a statement. “It spreads very easily by air and by direct contact with an infected person, and is contagious from approximately four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appears. We encourage community members to protect themselves and their families by getting vaccinated.”
A Tustin woman in her 50s was diagnosed last week with West Nile virus fever, becoming the first person to contract the virus in Orange County this year, officials said. An Imperial County man died in early July after contracting the virus.
In Los Angeles County, there have been 16 cases of measles in residents in 2019.
Anyone with questions about measles or potential exposure to this case can call the HCA Health Referral Line at 1-800-564-8448.
