ALERT: Potential measles exposure at two locations in Eureka | Lost Shore Outpost

Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services:

People who visited the Days Inn in Eureka or the emergency room at Providence St. Joseph Hospital may have been exposed to measles on the following days:

• The Days Inn by Wyndham270 Fifth St. in Eureka from Thursday, May 9, 2 p.m. to Friday, May 10, 3 p.m
• Providence St. Joseph Hospital Emergency Department2700 Dolbeer St. in Eureka Friday, May 10, between 2:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m

Anyone who was at these locations during this time should contact the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services Public Health Branch at 707-268-2182, regardless of whether they are experiencing symptoms or not. We can be reached by phone this evening until 8 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m

A public health nurse will assess your possible exposure and provide information. For unvaccinated people, vaccination within 72 hours of exposure can significantly reduce the risk of serious illness.

Today, Public Health was notified that a family traveling through the area included an individual who was treated in the emergency room at St. Joseph Hospital with a confirmed case of measles.
According to the California Department of Public Health, measles is a highly contagious virus that lives in the nasal and throat mucus of an infected person. It can be spread to others through coughing and sneezing. The virus can survive in an airspace for up to an hour after the infected person has left the area, and other people who breathe in the contaminated air or touch the infected surface and then touch their eyes, nose or mouth can become infected.

It can take between 7 and 21 days for symptoms to appear after a measles infection. Symptoms usually begin with a fever that lasts a few days, followed by cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis (pink eyes), and a rash. The rash typically first appears on the face, along the hairline, and behind the ears and then affects the rest of the body. Infected people are usually contagious from about four days before their rash begins to four days afterward. Children under 5 and people who are pregnant or have weakened immune systems are at highest risk for serious illness and complications from measles.

Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease. The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is 97% effective at preventing disease. For more information about the vaccine, contact your primary care provider and visit https://www.cdc.gov/measles/vaccination.html.

Most digital immunization records for children and young adults are available through the California Department of Public Health’s digital immunization record: https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/.