FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 4/12/18

Additional Sites Added for Possible Measles Exposures

The Kansas City Missouri Health Department has been notified of a confirmed case of measles in an adult. At this time, the investigation does not connect the individual to the Kansas outbreak of measles.  The Department is waiting for the completion of tests to determine the strain of disease from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Measles is highly contagious. Symptoms typically begin one to two weeks after someone is exposed to an infected person. The virus can live in the air and on surfaces for two hours after the infected individual has left that area. 
New locations, dates and times of possible measles exposure include:

March 30, 2018

• Barnes & Noble at Oak Park Mall, Overland Park, KS between 8 a.m.- 10:30 a.m.
• Subway at 312 E. 51st, Kansas City, MO between 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
• Price Chopper at 6327 Brookside, Kansas City, MO between 12:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.

March 31, 2018

• Laundroplex at 575 NW 68th St., Kansas City, MO 5 – 10 p.m.
• Quick Trip at 601 NW 68th St., Kansas City, MO 7 – 9:30 p.m.

April 1, 2018

• Pleasant Valley Baptist Church (church and lobby), 1600 MO-291, Liberty, MO 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

The Kansas City Health Department can now confirm that the previously reported Kansas City measles case is also not related to the Kansas outbreak of measles.

“The best defense is vaccination,” said Rex Archer, director of health, Kansas City, Missouri Health Department. “Residents should have had at least 2 doses of the vaccine in their lifetime.  Residents who may have received vaccination between 1963-1967 who received an inactivated (killed) measles vaccine should receive a booster of a least one dose of the current vaccine.”

Individuals who have not received or are not up to date with the vaccine and have a confirmed exposure will be notified by their health department that they are in quarantine and need to remain at home.  Individuals should not attend school, day care or work for 21 days.

We are urging people who are ill or exhibiting measles-like symptoms to stay at home unless they are seeking medical care. Before visiting a healthcare provider, call ahead and let the provider know of the measles exposure so that steps can be taken to protect other patients and staff.

Symptoms of measles generally begin about 7-14 days after a person is infected, and include:

• Fever
• Blotchy rash on the skin, which spreads from the head to the trunk then to the lower extremities. 
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis)
• Feeling run down, achy
• Tiny white spots with bluish-white centers found inside the mouth (Koplik’s spots)

People at high risk for severe illness and complications from measles include:

• Infants and children aged <5 years
• Adults aged >20 years
• Pregnant women
• People with compromised immune systems, such as from leukemia and HIV infection
  
  

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