A person visiting Hawaii became ill with measles and exposed people at multiple locations to the infectious disease, the Hawaii Department of Health said on March 7.
The unidentified adult traveled to Hawaii recently from the continental United States, according to the department. “After arrival, the visitor became ill, sought medical care, and is now recovering at a private residence on Oahu,” the agency said in a statement.
The person was previously vaccinated against measles, officials said.
People who visited the following locations on the following dates during the listed times may have been exposed to measles:
- Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Oahu on Feb. 26 (A gates and baggage claim) from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., on March 3 (Terminal 1 and A gates) from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., or on March 4 (A gates and baggage claim) from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Lāʻie Mormon Temple in Oahu on Feb. 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Hilo International Airport on Hawaii Island on March 3 (gate areas and baggage claim) from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., or on March 4 (check-in, security, and gate areas) from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii Island from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Hilo Siam Thai Restaurant on March 3 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
People who were at those locations are being encouraged to watch for symptoms such as fever and rash until three weeks after exposure and, if they develop symptoms, to isolate at home and contact their doctor or local emergency room.
The Hawaii Department of Health also recommends that people who have never gotten a measles vaccine do so.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates one dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella shot provides 93 percent protection against measles, and two doses confer 97 percent protection against measles.
A small percentage of vaccine recipients do not develop antibodies to measles, the CDC’s PinkBook states.
Of the 1,281 measles cases confirmed in the United States so far this year, 8 percent have been among people who received one or two doses of the measles vaccine, according to the CDC. The rest were in unvaccinated people or whose vaccination status was unknown.
Officials in Utah, which has an ongoing measles outbreak, reported earlier in March that 8 to 10 percent of the cases there have been in people who received a vaccine.
“Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent measles,” a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC’s parent agency, told The Epoch Times in a recent email. “Individuals should consult with their health care provider about what is best for them and their family.”