Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services:
People who visited the Days Inn in Eureka or the emergency department at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in the following days may have been exposed to measles:
The Days Inn by Wyndham270 Fifth St. in Eureka from Thursday, May 9 at 2 p.m. to Friday, May 10 at 3 a.m.
Providence St. Joseph Hospital Emergency Department2700 Dolbeer Street in Eureka on Friday, May 10, between 2:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.
Anyone inside these locations during these times should contact the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Branch at 707-268-2182, whether or not you have symptoms. Phones will be answered this evening until 8 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
A public health nurse will assess your possible exposure and provide you with information. For unvaccinated people, vaccination within 72 hours of exposure can significantly reduce the risk of severe illness.
Earlier today, Public Health was notified that a family traveling in the area included a person who was seen in the emergency department at St. Joseph Hospital with a confirmed case of measles. According to the California Department of Public Health, measles is a highly contagious virus that lives in the mucus of an infected person’s nose and throat. It can be spread to others through coughing and sneezing. The virus can survive for up to an hour in an airspace after the infected person leaves the area, and other people who breathe the contaminated air or touch the infected surface and then touch their eyes, nose or face mouth can become infected.
It can take 7 to 21 days for symptoms to appear after exposure to measles, and symptoms usually begin with a fever that lasts a few days, followed by cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis (eye pink) and a rash. The rash usually appears first on the face, along the hairline and behind the ears, and then affects the rest of the body. Infected people are usually contagious about four days before their rash starts and four days afterward. Children under 5 years old and people who are pregnant or have weakened immune systems are most at risk for severe illness and complications from measles.
Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease. The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is 97% effective in preventing the disease. For more information about the vaccine, contact your primary care provider and visit https://www.cdc.gov/measles/vaccination.html.
Most digital immunization records for children and young adults are available through the California Department of Public Health’s Digital Immunization Record: https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/.
