The Department of Public Health reported that anyone present at the hotel during the same time that the sick visitor stayed should be alert for symptoms.
Following the visit of an unvaccinated out-of-state traveler with measles to the Ark Encounter museum in Williamstown on December 29, the Kentucky Department of Public Health issued a measles exposure alert.
Authorities report that the person stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Dry Ridge from December 28 to December 30, located approximately 56 kilometers from Cincinnati, Ohio. Local 12 confirms that the Northern Kentucky Health Department is addressing the possible exposure incident. The identity of the individual remains undisclosed.
This extremely contagious respiratory infection can cause serious health problems, especially in young children. The Department of Public Health emphasizes that immunization provides the most effective defense against measles.
All 50 states require measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination for children attending public schools or daycares, the Express US reports.
According to Harvard Health, measles is fatal in three out of every 1,000 cases. The infection spreads by inhaling or coming into contact with respiratory particles from an infected person’s coughs, sneezes, or speech.
These particles can remain in the air for hours.
“Measles is a highly contagious disease,” Jennifer Mooney, health director for the Northern Kentucky Health District told Local 12. “Being around so many people in a place like the Ark Encounter creates the potential for widespread exposure. We want to make sure everyone who visited during that time knows they could have been exposed to measles and to keep an eye out for symptoms.”
The state Department of Public Health has advised that anyone who was present at the Holiday Inn during the same time as the visitor should monitor for symptoms until January 20.
Similarly, those exposed to the unvaccinated individual at Ark Encounter should monitor for symptoms until January 19.
Ark Encounter is a faith-based tourist attraction featuring a life-size Noah’s Ark, built to biblical specifications.
Recent measles outbreaks have been reported in two other southern states. South Carolina reported 185 cases on Friday.
That same day, Pima County, Arizona, confirmed a case of measles after a person traveled to Mexico. The person was later hospitalized and quarantined at a Tucson medical center.
At the national level, 2,065 cases of measles were reported, of which 42% occurred in people between 5 and 19 years old. More than 93% of people infected with measles were unvaccinated or their vaccination status was unknown, according to CDC data.
