Flyers out of San Jose exposed to measles
An adult with measles who flew out of San Jose Mineta International Airport on July 2 may have exposed others at the airport and on a Southwest Airlines flight — as well as two restaurants they went to during their infectious period — Santa Clara County health officials said Monday.
The case marks the latest in a troubling rise of measles locally and nationally, which public health experts attribute to missed MMR (measles-mumpsrubella) vaccine doses during the pandemic and an increase in global travel as unvaccinated people bring back the highly infectious disease from countries where it’s more common.
The person with measles is not a resident of Santa Clara County and was exposed to measles in a different state, according to the health department. Officials did not disclose the state or further information about the individual, citing privacy concerns. They learned of the case Sunday.
County health officials are working to identify close contacts and other people who may have been exposed, and have identified three locations and time periods when the person may have infected others: a Starbucks at 624 Blossom Hill Road in Los Gatos on July 1, between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.; Taqueria Los Pericos at 139 Water St. in Santa Cruz between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.; and San Jose Mineta International Airport, Terminal B, Southwest Airlines Flight WN 2804, between 5:15 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.
The Southwest flight departed from Gate 23 at San Jose International and arrived at Gate 17 of Chicago Midway International, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware.
About 90 people on the flight were Santa Clara County residents.
Measles symptoms — which include rash, red eyes, fever, cough and runny nose — can appear seven to 21 days after exposure.
Anyone who believes they may have been exposed should call their doctor right away, check their immunization records to see if they’re vaccinated against the measles, and monitor for symptoms, said Dr. Monika Roy, assistant health officer and communicable disease controller for the Santa Clara County Public Health Department.
“Measles is highly contagious and spreads through the air when someone with measles speaks, coughs or sneezes,” Roy said. “It is very easy for anyone close to the individual to become infected. Quick action can prevent many more people from becoming sick with this serious disease.”
Measles can linger in the air for up to an hour after the infected person is no longer in the room, Roy said. It is primarily spread through the air, not surfaces.
People who are fully vaccinated against measles are generally very well protected against the virus even if they are exposed. Two doses of the MMR vaccine is about 97% effective at preventing measles, and one dose is 93% effective, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But measles is very transmissible among those who are not vaccinated: One person with measles can infect 8 out of 10 unvaccinated people they come in close contact with.
There have been 11 other confirmed cases of measles in California so far in 2024 — already surpassing the four cases from the entire year of 2023, according to state health data as of June 29. Those cases have occurred in Los Angeles, San Diego, El Dorado and Alameda counties.
Nationwide, 159 measles cases have been reported in 23 jurisdictions, including 12 outbreaks, which are defined as three or more related cases, according to the CDC.