Long Beach man contracts first case of measles reported in the city this year
A Long Beach resident has been diagnosed with measles, the first case in the city since 2015, the Health Department confirmed Saturday morning, May 4.
The man is a graduate student at UCI, Orange County health officials said. He is recovering at home.
His age and personal details were not released. But he may have exposed others to measles at eight Long Beach locations over the previous week, according to the Long Beach health department.
They are:
4/28: Pizzanista, 1837 E 7th St., 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
4/28: Total Wine, 7400 Carson Blvd., 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
4/30: Susan European Dressmaker, 3319 E 7th St., 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
5/1: Art du Vin Wine Bar, 2027 E 4th St., 8:00 – 10:00 p.m.
5/1: Ralph’s, 2930 E 4th St., 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
5/2: Ralph’s, 6290 PCH, 3:00 – 6:30 p.m.
5/2: AMC Marina Pacifica, 6346 E PCH, 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.
5/3: Broadway Carwash, 4000 E Broadway, Long Beach, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
“The Health Department is working with the neighboring health jurisdictions of Orange County and Los Angeles County to identify and notify residents of locations the infected individual visited while contagious,” the department said in a news release.
The man had been vaccinated, but he likely contracted the virus because the vaccine is only about 97 percent effective, said Dr. Nichole Quick, Orange County’s interim health officer.
“The Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is generally very effective,” she said. “One dose is 93 percent effective and two doses are 97 percent effective. But, at a time when there are so many measles cases, there is a chance that 3 percent of vaccinated individuals will get it.”
Quick said the UCI student’s case is relatively mild because he was vaccinated. His case brings the total count for measles cases in Los Angeles County to eight.
Also on Saturday, Orange County health officials announced a 7-month-old infant, too young to be vaccinated, contracted measles. The infant, who has been hospitalized and has had no history of international travel, was seen at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County emergency department while infectious.
The diagnoses comes as the highly contagious disease has spread across the country. This year, as of April 26, there have been 704 measles cases across 22 states, according to a preliminary count by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That is the greatest number of cases in the United States since 1994, the CDC said. Measles was declared eliminated in 2000.
The greatest way to protect against measles is to become vaccinated, Long Beach’s Health Department said in a statement.
“All children and non-immune adults should be vaccinated against measles,” said City Health Officer Anissa Davis. “If you are unsure of your vaccination status, contact your provider to make sure you are up-to-date.”
The disease’s symptoms include fever, rash, cough, and red and watery eyes. It is contagious, the Health Department said, from four days before a rash appears and four days after it appears. About 90 percent of unvaccinated people become ill seven to 21 days after being exposed to the measles.
There is no cure and no treatment for the measles, Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the CDC, said in a press briefing Monday, April 29, the start of National Infant Immunization Week.
Most of the cases in the U.S., Redfield said, have been in unvaccinated children, an age group in which the disease is particularly dangerous.
During the press briefing, Redfield referred to a misconception by some folks that vaccinations are dangerous, leading to developmental problems in children, including autism. There is no statistical evidence, however, that vaccinations cause developmental delays.