Individuals who visited the Days Inn in Eureka or the Providence St. Joseph Hospital Emergency Department during the following days may have been exposed to measles:
- The Days Inn by Wyndham, 270 Fifth St. in Eureka from Thursday, May 9, at 2 p.m. through Friday, May 10, at 3 a.m.
- Providence St. Joseph Hospital Emergency Department, 2700 Dolbeer St. in Eureka Friday, May 10, between 2:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.
Anyone who was inside these locations during these times should contact the Public Health Branch of the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services at 707-268-2182, whether or not you are experiencing 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 evaluate your possible exposure and provide information. For unvaccinated individuals, vaccination within 72 hours of exposure can greatly reduce the risk of serious illness.
Earlier today, Public Health was notified that a family traveling through the area included an individual who was seen at St. Joseph Hospital’s Emergency Department with a confirmed case of measles.
According to the California Department of Public Health, measles is a highly contagious virus that lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person. It can spread to others through coughing and sneezing. The virus can live for up to one hour in an airspace after the infected person leaves the area, and other people who breathe the contaminated air or touch the infected surface, then touch their eyes, noses or mouths can become infected.
It can take anywhere from 7 to 21 days to develop symptoms after exposure to measles, and symptoms usually begin with a fever that lasts for a couple of days, followed by a cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis (pink eye) and a rash. The rash typically 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 from about four days before their rash starts to four days afterward. Children under 5 years old and people who are pregnant or have compromised immune systems are at highest risk for severe disease and complications from measles.
Measles is a vaccine-preventable illness. The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is 97% effective at preventing illness. For more information about the vaccine, contact your primary care provider and visit https://www.cdc.gov/measles/vaccination.html.
Most children and young adults’ digital vaccination records are available through the California Department of Public Health’s Digital Vaccine Record: https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/.
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