California alerts public to measles exposure on Amtrak routes across six counties
State health officials warn that an unvaccinated traveler with measles may have exposed passengers and station users in six California counties, and are working to notify potentially affected individuals.
California public health authorities have issued a warning that a traveler infected with measles and lacking vaccination traveled through at least six counties on Amtrak trains and connecting buses. The individual entered the state on a train that arrived in Los Angeles on Sept. 10, then continued to Bakersfield, Stockton, Oroville, Sacramento and Emeryville before departing for Denver. Officials say anyone who rode the same trains or buses, as well as people who were present in the stations along the route on the relevant dates, could have been exposed.
The California Department of Public Health is coordinating with federal partners and local health departments to identify and notify potentially exposed persons. > "This case, along with previous measles outbreaks in California this year, serve as reminders of the importance of vaccination against measles," assistant state public health officer Rita Nguyen said. "The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and provides long-lasting protection against measles. Vaccination protects both our own families and those who are too young to be fully vaccinated."
The warning follows a similar incident earlier this week in which a measles case on an Amtrak train traveling from Missouri to Illinois exposed more than 250 people in Illinois.