A Berkeley resident may have exposed shoppers at Berkeley Bowl to measles, officials announced Friday.
Alix MartichouxShow MoreShow Less2of14Show MoreShow Less3of14As cases of measles continue to be reported across the U.S. in 2019, here are several facts taken directly from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention website.Journal Register Co.Show MoreShow Less4of14Before the measles vaccination program in 1963, about 3 to 4 million people got measles each year in the United States. Of those people, 400 to 500 died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and 4,000 developed encephalitis (brain swelling) from measles.Centers for Disease Control and PreventionShow MoreShow Less
5of146of14In 2000, the United States declared measles was eliminated from this country. CDC defines measles elimination as the absence of continuous disease transmission for 12 months or more in a specific geographic area.Michael Short/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less7of14Every year, unvaccinated travelers (Americans or foreign visitors) get measles while they are in other countries and bring measles into the United States. They can spread measles to other people who are not protected against measles, which sometimes leads to outbreaks. This can occur in communities with unvaccinated people.Eric Risberg/APShow MoreShow Less8of14Symptoms of measles appear about seven to 14 days after infection. Measles begins with high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Two or three days after symptoms begin, tiny white spots may appear inside the mouth.
Three to five days after symptoms begin, the rash breaks out.CDCShow MoreShow Less9of14There is no specific antiviral therapy for measles. Medical care is supportive and to help relieve symptoms and address complications such as bacterial infections.Liz Hafalia/The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
10of1411of14Measles is a highly contagious virus that lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person. It can spread through coughing and sneezing. Measles virus can live for up to two hours in an airspace where the infected person coughed or sneezed. Gillian Flaccus/Associated PressShow MoreShow Less12of14The largest outbreak of measles in the U.S. since 2000 was in 2014 when 23 outbreaks resulted in 667 infected cases. Santiago Mejia / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less13of14There is no link between vaccines and Autism spectrum disorder. ASD is a developmental disability that is caused by differences in how the brain functions. Liz Hafalia/The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
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A Berkeley resident may have exposed shoppers at Berkeley Bowl to measles, officials announced Friday.
The infected individual visited Berkeley Bowl, at 2020 Oregon St., on May 7 between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., Berkeley Public Health said in a press release.
The department urged those who were at Berkeley Bowl between those hours and who are experiencing measles symptoms, including runny nose, red eyes, cough and fever, to seek immediate medical care. Symptoms typically emerge between seven and 21 days after exposure.
People with severely weakened immune systems and those who are unvaccinated, especially children and those born in or before 1957, are especially susceptible to measles, officials said.
"Given how measles spreads through the air from someone unaware of infection, the need for vaccination is especially important," said Dr. Lisa Hernandez, the city of Berkeley's Health Officer. "The vaccine is a simple and very powerful protection."
Measles cases in the U.S. are at their highest levels in 25 years. Forty-five cases have been reported in California since January 1, including 18 cases in Northern California.
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