Colorado health officials confirmed a new measles case in Mesa County last week, marking the state’s 20th case this year.
The Mesa County resident has no known connection to other recent exposures reported in Colorado and has not traveled outside the state, according to a Friday news release from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Mesa County Public Health is investigating the case.
“The lack of a clear source of infection suggests that this case may be the result of community transmission in the Grand Junction area,” state health officials stated in the release.
State health officials said people who visited the following locations may have been exposed:
- Landmark Baptist Church and School at 1600 Ute Ave. in Grand Junction between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 7. Symptoms may develop through Aug. 28.
- Landmark Baptist Church and School at 1600 Ute Ave. in Grand Junction between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 8. Symptoms may develop through Aug. 29.
- Chick-fil-A at 1730 N Ave. between 3 p.m. and midnight on Aug. 8. Symptoms may develop through Aug. 30.
- Burger King at 1730 N Ave. between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Aug. 9. Symptoms may develop through Aug. 30.
- Community Hospital Emergency Department at 2351 G Road between 7 p.m. on Aug. 11 and 12:45 a.m. on Aug. 12. Symptoms may develop through Sept. 2.
- Community Hospital Emergency Department at 2351 G Road between 5:18 p.m. and 7:33 p.m. on Aug. 14. Symptoms may develop through Sept. 4.
People who were at those locations during the exposure windows and develop symptoms should contact their doctor, an urgent care or an emergency department by phone and explain that they may have been exposed to measles, state health officials said.
Calling ahead helps prevent the disease from spreading.
Symptoms typically appear anywhere from one to three weeks after exposure to the virus and include a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. Those symptoms are usually followed by a rash that starts on the face and spreads, officials said.
More than a dozen of the 20 people infected in Colorado this year, including the Mesa County case, had not received the MMR vaccine, according to state health officials.
Unvaccinated people can reduce their risk of infection if they get the shot within 72 hours. Two doses of the measles vaccine reduce the odds of getting the virus by about 97%.
Five of the people infected in Colorado so far this year were hospitalized, more than double the two or fewer measles cases the state reports during an average year.
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