Get vaccinated, Bay Area.
Contra Costa County public health officials announced that BART riders commuting to San Francisco may have been exposed to the measles, after a passenger who traveled from Feb. 4-6 tested positive for the virus over the weekend.
The unnamed infected rider traveled between Lafayette and San Francisco during the morning and evening commutes over the three-day period, according to the Contra Costa County Public Health Department.
County officials say the danger of contracting measles on the BART is low for riders who are immunized, but those who were not vaccinated, however, are at high risk.
“Measles is circulating in the Bay Area and we don’t know yet where this person was exposed,” said Erika Jenssen, communicable disease program chief with Contra Costa Public Health.
The virus can stay in the surrounding air for up to two hours, so anyone who rode the BART during that time is at risk, health officials said.
The rider is the first confirmed case of measles in the northern county.
The county’s public health department and the San Francisco Department of Public Health are looking into the infected rider’s movements, and are notifying those known to be in contact.
Public health officials also said the rider visited E&O Kitchen and Bar in San Francisco between 5:30 pm and 7 pm on Feb. 4.
“While we are concerned about the current outbreak in California and its potential to spread, we cannot emphasize enough that the solution is simple and available: be vaccinated,” said San Francisco Health Officer Dr. Tomas Aragon.
The number of total measles case nationwide rose Monday, Feb. 9 to at least 123. The infectious virus, spread through the air when an ill person coughs or sneezes, has also been found in 11 counties throughout California, as well as seven other states and Mexico.
The origin of the virus is linked to unknown foreign visitors of the Disney theme parks in Anaheim, and anyone who visited Disneyland or Disney’s California Adventure park between Dec. 17 and 20.
(With reports from Los Angeles Times)
