California health officials are urging residents to check their measles vaccination status after an unvaccinated passenger who later required hospital treatment travelled through six counties on Amtrak trains and connecting Thruway buses.
The California Department of Public Health said the passenger arrived in Los Angeles from Chicago on 10 September before travelling north through the state and later leaving from Emeryville for Denver, Colorado.
Potential exposure sites include stations and services in Los Angeles, Kern, San Joaquin, Butte, Sacramento and Alameda counties. Anyone who travelled on the affected trains or buses, or was present at the relevant stations during the journey, may have been exposed.
The passenger travelled from Los Angeles to Bakersfield and then Stockton on 12 September, continuing by Thruway bus to Oroville. The following day, the journey continued by bus to Sacramento before the passenger travelled on to Emeryville.
California health authorities are working with county and federal agencies to identify people who may have come into contact with the passenger.
People who may have been exposed are being advised to check whether they have received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide about 97 per cent protection against measles.
Officials said symptoms can develop between seven and 21 days after exposure and may include fever, cough, a runny nose, red or watery eyes and a rash. Anyone who develops symptoms should contact a healthcare provider by phone before attending a medical facility, to avoid exposing others.
