Tourist with measles visited The Met, local hotels

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - The New York State Department of Health says that a tourist from Australia potentially exposed people to measles at locations in New York City and areas north of the city.

The measles-infected tourist visited hotels in Manhattan and Brooklyn, was part of an Oasis Bible Tour group at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, and visited the Watchtower Educational Center in Putnam County, an Orange County hotel, an Urgent Care Center in Orange County, and Orange Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Department between February 16 – 21.

Although they could have potentially exposed others to measles, health officials say the risk of developing measles is very low, especially for people who have been immunized.

Anyone who visited the following locations may have been exposed:

-La Quinta Inn, 31 W. 71st Street, New York, NY, between February 16 and the morning of February 19, 2018.
-Oasis Bible Tours at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Avenue, New York, NY, the morning of February 16, and the evening of February 17, 2018.
-Watchtower Educational Center, 100 Watchtower Drive, Patterson, NY, between 12:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. on February 19, 2018.
-Best Western Hotel, 1324 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, from February 19 until 12:00 p.m. on February 20, 2018.
-Comfort Inn & Suites Goshen – Middletown, 20 Hatfield Lane, Goshen, NY, from 4:30 p.m. on February 20 until 10:30 a.m. on February 21, 2018.
-Excel Urgent Care, 1 Hatfield Lane, Goshen, NY, between 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. on February 21, 2018.
-Orange Regional Medical Center, Emergency Department, 707 E. Main Street, Middletown, NY, between 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on February 21, 2018.

These times reflect the period that the infected individual was in these areas and a two-hour period after the individual left the area, as the virus remains alive in air and on surfaces for up to two hours.

Those individuals lacking immunity or who are not sure if they have been vaccinated, should contact their health care provider if they develop measles symptoms. Symptoms include a fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis or runny nose. Symptoms usually appear in 10-12 days after exposure. Individuals who may have been exposed and who lack immunity could begin experiencing symptoms at this time.

To prevent the spread of illness, the Department is advising individuals who may have been exposed and who have symptoms consistent with measles to contact their health care provider, a local clinic, or a local emergency department before going for care. This will help to prevent others at these facilities from being exposed to the illness.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus that is spread by direct contact with nasal or throat secretions of infected people. People first develop a fever, then may have a cough, runny nose and watery eyes, followed by appearance of the rash.

The single best way to prevent measles is to be vaccinated.