Possible Measles Exposure At South Station And Two Boston Buses

BOSTON, MA — Health officials are warning anyone who may have taken a Boston bound bus from New York, Tuesday Feb. 26, they may have been exposed to the Measles.

The Boston Public Health Commission alerted the public Friday that the commission received notification of a confirmed case of measles, and the person confirmed to have the virus took a bus from New York to Boston and then a bus from the airport to New Hampshire, prompting the alert

The commission said it's possible that folks who were on one of the two buses or at South Station could become ill between March 3 and March 19 (21 days following potential exposure).

• 4 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Greyhound Bus (#2520) from New York City to Boston
• 8:30 PM – 12 a.m. South Station Bus Terminal, Boston
• 10 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. Boston Express Bus (#5178) from Boston Logan Airport to Manchester, New Hampshire (with stops in Tyngsboro, MA and Nashua, NH)

the 4 p.m. Greyhound Bus #2520 from New York City to Boston, arriving at South Station at midnight or on an express bus from South Station at 10 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

“Measles is a serious disease, particularly in children who have not been vaccinated. If you don’t know your immunity status and think you have been exposed, contact your healthcare provider immediately,” said Director of the Infectious Disease Bureau at BPHC Jen Leaf Jeager, M.D., M.P.H.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that is spread through the air, usually through coughing and sneezing.

One of the tricky things about the virus is that it may remain in the environment for up to two hours after the infectious person has left the area, said health officials. The commission is stressing that exposure can happen even without direct contact with an infectious person.

What you should know about the measles, according to health officials.
The following people are at the highest risk of getting the measles:

• Infants under a year old who are too young to have received the vaccine
• People born after 1957 who received only one dose of the MMR vaccine
• People who have refused vaccination
• People from parts of the world with low vaccination rates
• People vaccinated from 1963 to 1967 with an inactivated vaccine and who haven't been re-vaccinated

Symptoms
Early symptoms include a high fever, runny nose, cough, and red eyes. A skin rash usually occurs three to five days later and begins as flat, red spots on the face. If experiencing these symptoms, people are advised to contact their health care provider by phone immediately for further instructions.

If a person has had measles in the past or has received two doses of the vaccine, they are unlikely to become ill even if exposed. If they are uncertain of their immunity status, the commission recommends monitoring for symptoms and contacting their health care provider.
Boston Public Health Commission said it is working with other health officials on this case and monitoring for potential exposures.

The health office said it reached out to Boston residents to increase awareness about risk of exposure and encourage people who were potentially exposed to call their health care provider by phone for further instructions, according to a release. It's unclear how they are alerting folks who may have come in and out of Logan Airport's terminal B.
Previously:

Boston Report: Low Vaccination Rates to Blame for Measles Outbreak In Disney (2015)

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