New Ocean County Measles Case Under Investigation

A new case of measles has been reported in Ocean County, one of three new cases in New Jersey, according to the state Department of Health.

The health department said the Ocean County resident's case was identified in recent days and is not connected to the outbreak that caused 33 cases from late October 2018 to January.

The state health department has not said where the Ocean County resident became infected with the measles.

The other two cases — in Bergen County and in Essex County — are not related to each other or to the Ocean County case, officials said.

Anyone who was at the following locations on the specified dates may have been exposed:

• Congregation Sons of Israel, 401 Park Ave., Lakewood, on Feb. 26 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
• Kol Shimshon, 323 Squankum Road, Lakewood, on Feb. 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The health department says anyone who may have been exposed should contact a health provider immediately to discuss potential exposure and risk of developing the illness. If you have been exposed, you are at risk if you have not been vaccinated or have not had measles.

Potentially exposed individuals, if infected, could develop symptoms as late as March 25. As of March 6, no additional associated cases have been identified, officials said.

Measles symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes and a rash that usually appears between three and five days after symptoms begin. The rash usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, torso, arms, legs and feet. It can cause serious complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). Measles infection in a pregnant woman can lead to miscarriage, premature birth or a low-birth-weight baby. Measles is easily spread through the air when someone coughs or sneezes. People can also get sick when they come in contact with mucus or saliva from an infected person.

If you develop symptoms of measles, call a health care provider before going to a medical office or emergency department. Special arrangements can be made for evaluation while also protecting other patients and medical staff from possible infection.

Anyone who was in Hillsdale on Feb. 18 at the following locations may have been exposed to measles:

• AFC Urgent Care Hillsdale, 2 Broadway, Hillsdale, on Feb. 18 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Walgreens Pharmacy, 383 Washington Ave., Hillsdale, Feb. 18 from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The Bergen County case is a resident who contracted measles after contact with a community outside New Jersey experiencing an ongoing outbreak of measles. The Essex County case involves a resident who traveled outside the United States to a country that is currently experiencing an ongoing outbreak of measles, officials said.

"The Department is working in collaboration with local health officials to notify people who might have been exposed and identify additional exposures that could have occurred. In the event that additional exposures are identified, an update will be provided," the notice said.

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