Person Who Had Measles Might Have Infected Others in Catonsville Area, Region

The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is warning area residents and others in Maryland that they might have been exposed to the measles virus if they were in certain areas last week.

Earlier today, a letter was sent out to the Catonsville High School community that a person who was later diagnosed with measles was at 's commencement held last Wednesday at 

Later today, the state health department released a list of places this person had been, which includes the following:

• Tuesday, May 31: the Giant, located at 6223 Baltimore National Pike in Catonsville between 5 and 8 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 31: Montgomery Plaza Liquors, located at 225 Baltimore National Pike in Catonsville between 6 and 8 p.m.
•  Thursday, June 2: Applebee's restaurant, located 8999 Ocean Gateway Drive in Easton between 6:30 and 11 p.m.
• Friday, June 3: Oriole Park at Camden Yards beginning at 7 p.m.
•  Saturday, June 4: MTA Light Rail from Friday night at 11 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. on Saturday.

“People who may have been exposed should be vigilant for the signs and symptoms of measles,” said Frances Phillips, the deputy secretary for public health services for the department. “Quick identification and medical attention for new cases can help reduce the spread.”

Exposure to the measles virus causes a respiratory disease, also called measles. The virus spreads through the air by coughing, breathing or sneezing and symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough and a rash all over the body, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Visit the CDC's measles overview page for more information about symptoms and pictures of the rash associated with measles. 

This is the first confirmed case of measles in Maryland for 2011, but there were no cases in the state in 2010. There were four confirmed cases in 2009.

Dr. David Blythe, a medical epidemiologist with the state health department, said he could not say if the patient had been vaccinated against measles or not.

A person who has been vaccinated against the measles is highly unlikely to get the disease, he said, but no vaccine is 100 percent.

"That's why we want to make people aware of the signs and symptoms," he said.

According to the CDC, during the first 19 weeks of 2011, 118 cases of measles were reported, the highest number reported for this period since 1996. People who were not vaccinated accounted for 105, or 89 percent, of the 118 cases.

The risk of transmission in large outdoor settings is very low. The state health department is advising infants, unvaccinated pregnant women, and unvaccinated persons with weakened immune systems who might have been exposed to measles on Friday, June 3 to contact their health care provider. 

Here's what you should do if you think you have been exposed:

• Be aware of the signs and symptoms of measles. If you were actually infected with measles, you could develop symptoms from 7 to 21 days of exposure, that is, from June 7 through June 24.
• If you develop the signs and symptoms of measles, specifically fever, runny nose, watery red eyes and a cough, stay at home and do not expose others.
• If you subsequently develop a rash (usually within a few days after any symptoms first appear) or you develop any severe symptoms, please call your primary health care provider immediately.