Health officials in New Jersey are urging locals to stay up to date with the MMR vaccine and be on alert for symptoms after a NJ Transit rider tested positive for measles.
The case involved a Hudson County resident who was infected after close contact with a confirmed measles case in a non-New Jersey resident, the state Department of Health announced in a news release.
The “potentially infectious” individual, who has not been publicly identified, traveled on public transportation from Aug. 13 to 15, leading officials to warn fellow riders of potential exposure to the highly contagious virus.
Anyone who traveled on the following routes and stations during the specified times may have been exposed:
- NJ Transit Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, 8th Street, Bayonne to Hoboken branch: 9-11:30 a.m., and 6-9 p.m. on Aug. 13, 14 and 15;
- 8th Street Light Rail Station in Bayonne: 9-11:30 a.m., and 6-9 p.m. on Aug. 13, 14 and 15;
- PATH Newark on the World Trade Center Line: 9:15-11:45 a.m., and 5:45-8:30 p.m. on Aug. 13, 14 and 15;
- Exchange Place Station in Jersey City: 9:15-11:45 a.m., and 5:45-8:30 p.m. on Aug. 13, 14 and 15.
Measles symptoms can include a high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery red eyes, followed by a rash that usually appears within three to five days after other symptoms begin.
Health officials warned that, if infected, exposed individuals could develop symptoms as late as Sept. 11.
They urged residents to ensure they’re up to date with their measles vaccine — given as part of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shots — which is 97% effective at preventing the disease after two doses administered at least 28 days apart.
As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there had been a total of 1,375 confirmed cases reported across 42 jurisdictions in the U.S. so far this year — the highest number of infections in more than three decades, when the virus was declared eliminated.
In New Jersey, seven individuals have tested positive for the virus, though officials say there’s no known ongoing community spread in the state.
A recent peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that measles vaccination rates among U.S. children fell after the pandemic in nearly 80% of more than 2,000 counties with available data.
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