Monmouth County resident tests positive for measles following international travel

State health officials have issued an alert due to a Monmouth County resident testing positive for measles after traveling internationally.

The New Jersey Department of Health says the patient visited multiple locations in Monmouth and Union counties after returning and spent three days at one of the sites involved in the recent dockworkers strike in Elizabeth.

“The confirmed case is a resident of Monmouth County who presented with measles following recent international travel,” the Department of Health said in a statement.

Health officials say anyone who visited one of the locations where the patient spent time while infected may have been exposed and should “contact a health care provider immediately to discuss potential exposure and risk of developing the illness.”

Among the locations is the site of the International Longshoremen’s Association strike site in Elizabeth, specifically the Elizabeth Chassis Depot on South Bay Avenue near the “Welcome to Elizabeth Terminal.” The DOH says the patient was at the strike “all day” from Oct. 1-3.

Additional locations include:

The Department of Health says measles symptoms can include a high fever, runny nose, cough, watery, red eyes and a rash that usually appears about three to five days after the initial onset of symptoms.

“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. Measles can also cause serious complications, such as pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and can lead to miscarriage in pregnant people, premature birth, or a low-birth-weight baby,” health officials say.

Anyone who is experiencing symptoms or who believes they’ve been exposed should contact their health care provider or facility before arriving to prevent exposure to other patients. The virus can be transmitted through the air when someone sneezes or coughs and can stay in the air for up to two hours. Those who have never had measles or who have never had a measles vaccination are most susceptible.

The Department of Health says it is working with local health officials to notify people who might have been exposed and to identify additional exposures that may have occurred from the initial patient.