Measles alert issued in New Jersey after cases confirmed in Bergen County
A measles alert was issued by the New Jersey Department of Health after three cases of the highly-contagious virus were confirmed in Bergen County.
An unvaccinated New Jersey resident was diagnosed with measles after returning from an international trip and spread it to two close contacts, who also were not immunized, officials said.
The alert on Feb. 27 came one day after Texas confirmed a child died from measles amid an outbreak that has infected more than 120 people in the Lone Star State, while cases have been popping up in several U.S. states.
New Jersey's DOH said people who visited Englewood Hospital's emergency department between 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 9 were at risk of exposure. Symptoms could appear as late as March 6, the health department said.
NJDOH was working on contact tracing to notify people who might have been exposed, but said anyone who was at the hospital during that time should contact their health care provider immediately.
Anyone who suspects they are infected should call their doctor first before going to a facility so precautions can be taken to protect other patients and staff, NJDOH said.
Measles vaccine "could protect a child from dying"
In response to the Texas measles outbreak and cases in the Garden State, the New Jersey health department is urging residents to get the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella.
"A simple thing like this could protect a child from dying," said Dr. Suhaib Nashi, a pediatrician who administers the MMR vaccine almost daily. "Any contagious illness, people should be concerned."
Nashi, with Advocare Morristown Pediatrics, has also worked in third-world countries where the MMR vaccine is not regularly available.
"I know what measles can do. It's one of the really bad illnesses," he said.
According to the CDC, more than 93% of New Jersey kindergarteners had received the MMR vaccine for the 2023-24 school year, but that's down from just over 94% in 2022. More than 97% were vaccinated in New York and Connecticut both years.
Vaccination rates in kindergarteners across the U.S. fell about 2.5% from 2020 to 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
How does measles spread?
Measles spreads easily through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes and can be in the air for up to two hours after they leave, NJDOH said. Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes and a rash that usually appears between three and five days after symptoms begin.
"The rash usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, torso, arms, legs, and feet," the health department's alert said.
People at risk of becoming infected include those who are not fully vaccinated or have not had measles before, the CDC says.
The CDC defines an outbreak as three or more related cases, NJDOH said, but doctors say additional cases are not automatically cause for panic.
"The concern is if there's a pocket of unvaccinated people because this virus is very good at finding people who are not vaccinated," said Dr. Robert Amler, a dean and professor of public health at New York Medical College.
"A little over 20 years ago, this was declared eradicated from the continental United States. However, we do still see sporadic cases in travelers who bring it back," said Dr. Joseph Kim, chief medical officer for ID Care, which provides infectious disease services throughout New Jersey. "One person in an unvaccinated community can infect 12 to 18 people."
Kim says measles is highly contagious, but "exceptionally preventable."
If you think you were exposed to measles, doctors say you should check your medical records to see if you were vaccinated. If you're unsure, booster shots are available.
