A juvenile in Anchorage has tested positive for measles, a highly contagious but preventable virus, the Anchorage Health Department said in an alert on Thursday.
The alert described the person as an unvacccinated minor who went to several public places in Anchorage while potentially contagious.
“Health officials believe there is a potential for wider community exposure, putting non-immune persons at risk for infection,” a statement from the Anchorage Health Department said.
People at the following locations could have been exposed to measles:
• Fly Trampoline Park at 11051 O’Malley Centre Drive in South Anchorage between 2-6 p.m. on May 10
• Target at 150 West 100th Avenue in South Anchorage between 4-8 p.m. on May 11
• The YMCA at 5353 Lake Otis Parkway between 6-9 a.m. on May 12
The minor tested positive for measles on Wednesday, according to the health department. It was not immediately clear how the juvenile got measles, and whether the person had traveled. The health department also didn’t say what age range the juvenile was in.
If not immune, people exposed to measles could develop symptoms between May 17 and June 2, officials said.
Measles symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, a rash that usually starts on the face and moves to chest and back, and red watery eyes, according to the health department. The highly contagious respiratory illness can be dangerous or fatal, especially for babies or children, but the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine provides effective immunity, according to state health officials.
Most children in Alaska are vaccinated against measles: As of the end of last year, about 79% of Alaska kids between 19 and 35 months old had gotten one dose of the MMR vaccine, and 85% of kids between 5 and 19 had received a second dose, according to the state’s immunization program.
This year, the United States has seen more than 1,000 cases of measles and three deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including large outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico. As of May 15, the CDC shows that Alaska has recorded less than 10 cases of measles this year.
In January, the state confirmed that an unvaccinated Kenai Peninsula resident who had traveled overseas had been hospitalized in Homer with measles.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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