Sacramento County Public Health (SCPH) confirms one case of measles in a child who was seen at the UC Davis Medical Center Emergency Department on March 5, 2024, between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Unvaccinated persons or those with unknown vaccination status who were in the UC Davis Medical Center Emergency Department during the aforementioned time are at risk of developing measles from 7 to 21 days after being exposed. These individuals should do the following:
- Review their immunization and medical records to determine if they are protected against measles. People who have not had measles infection previously or who have not received thee measles immunization may not be protected from the measles virus. These individuals should talk with a healthcare provider about receiving measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunization.
- Contact by phone or email and notify their health care provider as soon as possible about a potential exposure if they are pregnant, an infant, have a weakened immune system and/or are not immunized, regardless of vaccination history. Do not go to your provider in-person or go to the emergency department for potential exposure.
- Monitor themselves for illness with fever and/or an unexplained rash from 7 days to 21 days after their exposure (the time period when symptoms may develop); if symptoms develop, stay at home and call a healthcare provider immediately. If you become ill enough that you need to seek medical attention in person, please wear a mask and inform the registration staff that you have had a measles exposure so that appropriate isolation can occur in the healthcare setting.
UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento County Public Health (SCPH) and Public Health and Health Departments in surrounding counties are contacting identified patients to assess their immunization status and provide guidance to individuals who were exposed.
About Measles:Measles is a contagious viral illness. Measles typically begins with a mild to moderate fever accompanied by cough, runny nose, and red/watery eyes. Some cases also report diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Two to three days later there is generally a fever and a red, blotchy rash appears, usually first on the face. This rash rapidly spreads downward to the chest and back and finally to the thighs and feet. The rash fades after about a week.
Measles is spread through the respiratory route and can live in the air for up to an hour in the airspace where an infectious person has coughed or sneezed. Other people can become infected by breathing the contaminated air. The time from being infected with the virus to developing symptoms can be as long as 21 days but is typically 9-12 days.
People with measles are infectious from four days before to four days after the onset of the rash. Anyone diagnosed with measles or suspected of having measles should stay home for four days after the onset of the rash. However, infected people without symptoms of measles may still be able to transmit the virus.
Vaccination against measles is the best protection against measles infection.
- Children usually receive the first dose of mumps, measles, and rubella vaccine (MMR) at 12-15 months of age and the second dose at 4-6 years. MMR vaccine is not recommended for children under 1 year old.
- Adults who have not had two doses of MMR vaccine can receive the vaccine. However, pregnant patients or people who are immunocompromised should not receive it.
- While vaccination is currently the best protection against measles infection, no vaccine or medicine is perfect, and vaccinated individuals may still become infected. If you were exposed and not immune, even after getting the vaccine, you can get measles and can transmit it to others. You should discuss this with your primary care provider at the time you are getting vaccinated.
Learn more about the measles through Sacramento County's Public Health page.
