New Jersey Health Officials Urge Residents Who Visited These Places To Get Measles Vaccine

With measles cropping up in New Jersey in recent weeks, the state's health officials are urging residents in measles-hit areas to seek medical assistance immediately.

New Jersey and New York health officials have already released warnings for residents who may have wandered into infected areas or come across infected individuals.

New Jersey's Measles Outbreak

Two infected people may have brought measles in various parts of the state in the past few weeks, according to NJ.com.

The first patient dropped by New Jersey in April 30 as part of a tour bus, and then went on to Niagara Falls in New York and Washington DC.

The second, who is a local resident of Bergen County, just recently developed measles, following an encounter with a different international traveler who had the disease in late April or early May.

These two incidents led New Jersey Department of Health to issue a warning, especially for their residents who have dropped by in the following areas at the corresponding dates: Towne Centre at Englewood apartments (April 24 to May 2), Renaissance Office Center (April 30 from 1 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.), Newark Liberty International Airport, Terminal C (May 2 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.), and Columbia Travel Center (April 30 from 9:45 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.).

In the Putnam County of New York, a total of six individuals have already been confirmed as part of the outbreak, according to a report from Patch. Ninety people have already been interviewed due to possible exposure to an infected person.

The Dangers Of Measles

Measles is a viral disease that's known to be extremely contagious. Ninety percent of those who come into contact with an infected person catches it as well without vaccination, according to New Jersey Department of Health.

It's one of the most deadly childhood ailments, with one or two deaths out of every 1,000 children with measles.

Keep an eye out for measles symptoms including cough, high fever, rash, red watery eyes, and a runny nose, among others.

Vaccination is very important in the prevention of the highly dangerous disease, and the officials in New Jersey are stressing the importance of people getting vaccinated now that there are cases of measles in the state.

"Two doses of measles vaccine are about 97 percent effective in preventing measles," New Jersey epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan tells NJ.com. "We urge everyone to check to make sure they and their family members are up-to-date on measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine and all other age-appropriate immunizations."